title: Treadmill Walking Combined With Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Parkinson Disease: A Pilot Study of Kinematic and Neurophysiological Effects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that combining treadmill walking with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances the gait improvements associated with treadmill walking in Parkinson disease. We explored the effects of these combined methodologies on corticospinal parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen participants with Parkinson disease were evaluated under the following three conditions: treadmill walking alone (treadmill), treadmill walking combined with anodal tDCS (AtDCS+treadmill) delivered over the motor cortex, and treadmill walking combined with sham stimulation (StDCS+treadmill). Overground walking performance, soleus H-reflex, reciprocal Ia inhibition from the tibialis anterior to the soleus muscle, intracortical facilitation, and short intracortical inhibition of the tibialis anterior muscle, were measured before and after each treadmill condition. The soleus H-reflex and walking performance on the treadmill were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All treadmill conditions improved walking performance and modulated spinal and corticospinal parameters in a similar way. However, AtDCS+treadmill lead to a different modulation of reciprocal Ia inhibition in comparison with the other treadmill conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single session combining treadmill walking and anodal tDCS delivered over the motor cortex resulted in a specific modulation of the reciprocal Ia inhibition from the tibialis anterior to the soleus muscle. However, this acute effect did not result in improvements of gait parameters associated with treadmill walking in Parkinson disease.
authors.affiliation: From the Faculty of Sciences of Sport and Physical Education, Department of Physical Education, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain (HF-L, FM-C, JM-C, MÁF-d-O); and Physical Therapy Department, Faculty of Physical Therapy, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain (OB).
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fernández-Lago
authors.forename: Olalla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bello
authors.forename: Francina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mora-Cerdá
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montero-Cámara
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Fernández-Del-Olmo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*