Abstract
We evaluated the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on fatigue in 17 subjects with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis with low physical disability. Two different patient groups underwent real or sham stimulation for 10 days, targeting the primary motor cortex of the dominant side or contralateral to the most compromised limb. In the ‘real group’, beneficial effects were observed using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (p = 0.04; physical subscale: p = 0.03), the subscales ‘change in health’ (p = 0.006) and ‘role limitations due to physical problems’ (p = 0.001) of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54, and by assessing the patient impression of perceived fatigue (p = 0.005).
References
Antal A, Herrmann CS (2016) Transcranial alternating current and random noise stimulation: possible mechanisms. Neural Plast 2016:3616807. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3616807
Ayache S, Chalah MA (2017) Fatigue in multiple sclerosis—insights into evaluation and management. Neurophysiol Clin 47:139–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucli.2017.02.004
Ayache SS, Lefaucheur JP, Chalah MA (2017) Long term effects of prefrontal tDCS on multiple sclerosis fatigue: a case study. Brain Stimul 10:1001–1002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2017.05.004
Bornheim S, Maquet P, Croisier JL, Crielaard JM, Kaux JF (2018) Motor cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improves acute stroke visuo-spatial neglect: a series of four case reports. Brain Stimul 11:459–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2017.11.018
Chalah MA, Riachi N, Ahdab R, Créange A, Lefaucheur JP, Ayache SS (2015) Fatigue in multiple sclerosis: neural correlates and the role of non-invasive brain stimulation. Front Cell Neurosci 9:460. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2015.00460
Chalah MA, Riachi N, Ahdab R, Mhalla A, Abdellaoui M, Créange A, Lefaucheur JP, Ayache SS (2017a) Effects of left DLPFC versus right PPC tDCS on multiple sclerosis fatigue. J Neurol Sci 372:131–137. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00147
Chalah MA, Lefaucheur JP, Ayache SS (2017b) Long-term effects of tDCS on fatigue, mood and cognition in multiple sclerosis. Clin Neurophysiol 128:2179–2180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2017.08.004
Charvet LE, Dobbs B, Shaw MT, Biksom M, Datta A, Krupp LB (2018) Remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: results from a randomized, sham-controlled trial. Mult Scler 13:1760–1769. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458517732842
Curatolo M, La Bianca G, Cosentino G, Baschi R, Salemi G, Talotta R, Romano M, Triolo G, De Tommaso M, Fierro B, Brighina F (2017) Motor cortex tRNS improves pain, affective and cognitive impairment in patients with fibromyalgia: preliminary results of a randomised sham-controlled trial. Clin Exp Rheumatol 105:100–105
Ferrucci R, Vergari M, Cogiamanian F, Bocci T, Ciocca M, Tomasini E, De Riz M, Scarpini E, Priori A (2014) Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Neurorehabilitation 34:121–127. https://doi.org/10.3233/NRE-131019
Fertonani A, Pirulli C, Miniussi C (2011) Random noise stimulation improves neuroplasticity in perceptual learning. J Neurosci 31:15416–15423. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.2002-11.2011
Inukai Y, Saito K, Sasaki R, Tsuiki S, Miyaguchi S, Kojima S, Masaki M, Otsuru N, Onishi H (2016) Comparison of three non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation methods for increasing cortical excitability. Front Hum Neurosci 10:668. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00668
Korzhova J, Sinitsyn D, Chervyakov A, Poydasheva A, Zakharova M, Suponeva N, Chernikova L, Piradov M (2018) Transcranial and spinal cord magnetic stimulation in treatment of spasticity. A literature review and meta-analysis. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 54(1):75–84. https://doi.org/10.23736/S1973-9087.16.04433-6
Kos D, Kerckhofs E, Nagels G, D’Hooghe BD, Duquet W, Duportail M, Ketelaer P (2003) Assessing fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Dutch modified fatigue impact scale. Acta Neurol Belg 103:185–191
Kurtzke JF (1983) Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis: an expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Neurology. 33(11):1444–1452
Lefaucheur JP, Chalah MA, Mhalla A, Palm U, Ayache SS, Mylius V (2017) The treatment of fatigue by non-invasive brain stimulation. Neurophysiol Clin 47:173–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucli.2017.03.003
Nagaraj K, Taly AB, Gupta A, Prasad C, Christopher R (2013) Prevalence of fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis and its effect on the quality of life. J Neurosci Rural Pract 4:278–282. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-3147.118774
Palm U, Chalah MA, Padberg F, Al-Ani T, Abdellaoui M, Sorel M, Dimitri D, Créange A, Lefaucheur JP, Ayache SS (2016) Effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on affect, pain and attention in multiple sclerosis. Restor Neurol Neurosci 34:189–199. https://doi.org/10.3233/rnn-150557
Polman CH, Reingold SC, Banwell B, Clanet M, Cohen JA, Filippi M, Fujihara K, Havrdova E, Hutchinson M, Kappos L, Lublin FD, Montalban X, O’Connor P, Sandberg-Wollheim M, Thompson AJ, Waubant E, Weinshenker B, Wolinsky JS (2011) Diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: 2010 revisions to the McDonald criteria. Ann Neurol 69(2):292–302. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.22366
Saiote C, Goldschmidt T, Timäus C, Steenwijk MD, Opitz A, Antal A, Paulus W, Nitsche MA (2014) Impact of transcranial direct current stimulation on fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Restor Neurol Neurosci 32:423–436. https://doi.org/10.3233/rnn-130372
Terney D, Chaieb L, Moliadze V, Antal A, Paulus W (2008) Increasing human brain excitability by transcranial high frequency random noise stimulation. J Neurosci 28:14147–14155. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4248-08.2008
Acknowledgements
We thank all the patients who participated in the study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare to have no conflict of interest.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
The Ethical Committee of the Medical University of Palermo approved this study. It was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Salemi, G., Vazzoler, G., Ragonese, P. et al. Application of tRNS to improve multiple sclerosis fatigue: a pilot, single-blind, sham-controlled study. J Neural Transm 126, 795–799 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-019-02006-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-019-02006-y