Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Jun 6:12:937-947.
doi: 10.2147/CIA.S133423. eCollection 2017.

Can we improve pain and sleep in elderly individuals with transcranial direct current stimulation? - Results from a randomized controlled pilot study

Marie-Philippe Harvey  1   2 , Dominique Lorrain  1   3 , Marylie Martel  1   2 , Kayla Bergeron-Vezina  1 , Francis Houde  1   2 , Mario Séguin  2   4 , Guillaume Léonard  1   2   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Can we improve pain and sleep in elderly individuals with transcranial direct current stimulation? - Results from a randomized controlled pilot study

Marie-Philippe Harvey et al. Clin Interv Aging. .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of chronic pain and sleep disturbances substantially increases with age. Pharmacotherapy remains the primary treatment option for these health issues. However, side effects and drug interactions are difficult to control in elderly individuals.

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized sham-controlled trial and to collect preliminary data on the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to reduce pain and improve sleep in older adults suffering from chronic pain.

Methods: Fourteen elderly individuals (mean age 71±7 years) suffering from chronic pain and sleep complaints were randomized to receive either anodal tDCS, applied over the primary motor cortex (2 mA, 20 minutes), or sham tDCS, for 5 consecutive days. Pain was measured with visual analog scales, pain logbooks and questionnaires, while sleep was assessed with actigraphy, sleep diaries and questionnaires.

Results: There were no missing data for pain and sleep measures, except for actigraphy, that generated several missing data. Blinding was maintained throughout the study, for both the evaluator and participants. Active but not sham tDCS significantly reduced pain (P<0.05). No change was observed in sleep parameters, in both the active and sham tDCS groups (all P≥0.18).

Conclusion: The present study provides guidelines for the implementation of future tDCS studies in larger populations of elderly individuals. M1 anodal tDCS in this population appears to be effective to reduce pain, but not to improve sleep.

Keywords: actigraphy; aging; elderly; pain; sleep; tDCS; transcranial direct current stimulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The study lasted 19 days and was divided into 3 phases: T1 (baseline), T2 (tDCS treatments) and T3 (follow-up). Pain and sleep questionnaires were completed at the beginning of the study (day 1), after the 5 tDCS sessions (day 12) and after the 7 days of follow-up (day 19). Actigraphic measures were taken from day 1 to day 19. Pain and sleep logbooks were completed each day, at home, by the participants, from day 1 to day 19. Abbreviation: tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pain intensity scores measured with VAS for active and sham tDCS groups. Pain scores were obtained once on day 1 and day 19, and before and after each tDCS session (day 8 to day 12). Each point represents group mean ± standard error of mean. Abbreviations: VAS, visual analog scale; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The average daily pain for sham and active treatment groups gathered using the pain logbook. T1 represents the 7 days of baseline, T2 corresponds to the 5 days of tDCS treatments and T3 represents the 7 days of follow-up. Each point represents a group mean ± standard error of mean. There was a significant difference between T1 and T2 in the active tDCS group and between T1 and T3 in sham tDCS group. *Statistically significant (P<0.05). Abbreviations: tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation; T1, baseline; T2, tDCS treatments; T3, follow-up.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentages of hypoalgesia calculated with the average pain on the day measured using the pain logbook. The first 2 columns represent hypoalgesia during the week of tDCS treatments (comparing T2 to T1), and the next 2 columns represent hypoalgesia during the 7 days of follow-up (comparing T3 to T1). Each column represents mean ± standard error of mean. *Statistically significant (P<0.05). Abbreviations: tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation; T1, baseline; T2, tDCS treatments; T3, follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Manocchia M, Keller S, Ware JE. Sleep problems, health-related quality of life, work functioning and health care utilization among the chronically ill. Qual Life Res. 2001;10(4):331–345. - PubMed
    1. Marchand S. Le phénomène de la douleur [The Phenomenon of Pain] Montreal: Les Éditions de la Chenelière Inc; 2009. French.
    1. Cho CH, Jung SW, Park JY, Song KS, Yu KI. Is shoulder pain for three months or longer correlated with depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance? J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013;22(2):222–228. - PubMed
    1. Fishbain DA, Cole B, Lewis JE, Gao J. What is the evidence for chronic pain being etiologically associated with the DSM-IV category of sleep disorder due to a general medical condition? A structured evidence-based review. Pain Med. 2010;11(2):158–179. - PubMed
    1. Onen SH, Onen F, Courpron P, Dubray C. How pain and analgesics disturb sleep. Clin J Pain. 2005;21(5):422–431. - PubMed

Publication types