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
. 2019 Sep 14;16(1):114.
doi: 10.1186/s12984-019-0591-z.

Combining transcranial direct-current stimulation with gait training in patients with neurological disorders: a systematic review

Rubén Hernández de Paz  1 , Diego Serrano-Muñoz  2 , Soraya Pérez-Nombela  1 , Elisabeth Bravo-Esteban  1 , Juan Avendaño-Coy  1 , Julio Gómez-Soriano  1
Affiliations

Combining transcranial direct-current stimulation with gait training in patients with neurological disorders: a systematic review

Rubén Hernández de Paz et al. J Neuroeng Rehabil. .

Abstract

Background: Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is an easy-to-apply, cheap, and safe technique capable of affecting cortical brain activity. However, its effectiveness has not been proven for many clinical applications.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether the effect of different strategies for gait training in patients with neurological disorders can be enhanced by the combined application of tDCS compared to sham stimulation. Additionally, we attempted to record and analyze tDCS parameters to optimize its efficacy.

Methods: A search in Pubmed, PEDro, and Cochrane databases was performed to find randomized clinical trials that combined tDCS with gait training. A chronological filter from 2010 to 2018 was applied and only studies with variables that quantified the gait function were included.

Results: A total of 274 studies were found, of which 25 met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 17 were rejected based on exclusion criteria. Finally, 8 trials were evaluated that included 91 subjects with stroke, 57 suffering from Parkinson's disease, and 39 with spinal cord injury. Four of the eight assessed studies did not report improved outcomes for any of its variables compared to the placebo treatment.

Conclusions: There are no conclusive results that confirm that tDCS can enhance the effect of the different strategies for gait training. Further research for specific pathologies, with larger sample sizes and adequate follow-up periods, are required to optimize the existing protocols for applying tDCS.

Keywords: Gait; Neurological disorder; Rehabilitation; Transcranial direct-current stimulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of articles during the selection process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Sale P, Franceschini M, Waldner A, Hesse S. Use of the robot assisted gait therapy in rehabilitation of patients with stroke and spinal cord injury. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2012;48:111–121. - PubMed
    1. Schwartz I, Meiner Z. Robotic-assisted gait training in neurological patients: who may benefit? Ann Biomed Eng. 2015;43:1260–1269. doi: 10.1007/s10439-015-1283-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Benito-Penalva J, et al. Gait training in human spinal cord injury using electromechanical systems: effect of device type and patient characteristics. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2012;93:404–412. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2011.08.028. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Esquenazi A, Packel A. Robotic-assisted gait training and restoration. Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2012;91:S217–S231. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e31826bce18. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Louie DR, Eng JJ. Powered robotic exoskeletons in post-stroke rehabilitation of gait: a scoping review. J. Neuroeng. Rehabil. 2016;13:53. doi: 10.1186/s12984-016-0162-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms