Transcranial direct current stimulation reduces ischemia‐induced sensory disturbance in the hands of healthy subjects

• Published in: Muscle & Nerve Vol. 64; no. 5; pp. 610 - 613
• Main Authors: Sunagawa, Toru, Ueda, Akio, Kurumadani, Hiroshi, Zehry, Hanan Ibrahim, Date, Shota, Ishii, Yosuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley 01.11.2021; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Brain; Brain damage; Brain injury; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Central nervous system; Direct current; Disturbances; electrical stimulation; Electrical stimulation of the brain; Entrapment; entrapment neuropathy; ESB; Finger; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Ischemia; Ischemia - complications; Ischemia - therapy; Neural networks; neuromodulation; Neuronal Plasticity; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neuroplasticity; Overuse injuries; Peripheral nerves; Peripheral neuropathy; sensory; Sensory Thresholds; Stimulation; tDCS; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - methods; neuromodulation; electrical stimulation; sensory; tDCS; entrapment neuropathy
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/mus.27394

Introduction/Aims The treatment of entrapment neuropathies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome, has significant challenges that have yet to be solved. To a large extent, the success of the treatment of peripheral nerve damage is dependent on brain plasticity during the recovery process. Recently, noninvasive brain stimulation procedures, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), to modulate brain activity have been developed. This study aimed to determine whether tDCS can improve artificially induced ischemic sensory disturbances in the finger. Methods Ten right‐handed, healthy volunteers, with an average age of 25.5 years, participated in this study. A rubber bandage at the base of the right index finger was used to induce a regional sensory disturbance for 30 minutes. An anodal tDCS was applied over their left M1 area 15 minutes into the session. The current perception threshold (CPT) in the index and little finger pad was evaluated using the PainVision system and used as a measure of the sensory threshold. Results In the index finger, the CPT increased significantly with time, a finding that was absent after tDCS application. Discussion It has been reported that anodal tDCS over M1 primarily modulates the functional connectivity of sensory networks, and our findings demonstrate that it improved ischemia‐induced sensory disturbances. Modulating the central nervous system using tDCS represents a potential avenue for treating entrapment neuropathies.