Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation in neurological disease.
Several studies have highlighted the therapeutic potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with neurological diseases, including dementia, epilepsy, post-stroke dysfunctions, movement disorders, and other pathological conditions. Because of this technique's ability to modify cerebellar excitability without significant side effects, cerebellar tDCS is a new, interesting, and powerful tool to induce plastic modifications in the cerebellum. In this report, we review a number of interesting studies on the application of cerebellar tDCS for various neurological conditions (ataxia, Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor) and the possible mechanism by which the stimulation acts on the cerebellum. Study findings indicate that cerebellar tDCS is a promising therapeutic tool in treating several neurological disorders; however, this method's efficacy appears to be limited, given the current data.
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy ; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Rudinì 8, 20142 Milan, Italy.
Roberta
R
Ferrucci
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Tommaso
T
Bocci
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Francesca
F
Cortese
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Fabiana
F
Ruggiero
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy ; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Rudinì 8, 20142 Milan, Italy ; III Clinica Neurologica, Polo Ospedaliero San Paolo, via Rudinì 8, 20142 Milan, Italy.
Alberto
A
Priori
Ataxia; Cerebellar tDCS; Dystonia; Essential tremor; Parkinson’s disease