Applications of transcranial direct current stimulation in children and pediatrics

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory noninvasive brain stimulation tool with potential to increase or reduce regional and remote cortical excitability. Numerous studies have shown the ability of this technique to induce neuroplasticity and to modulate cognition and behavior in adults. Clinical studies have also demonstrated the ability of tDCS to induce therapeutic effects in several central nervous system disorders. However, knowledge about its ability to modulate brain functions in children or induce clinical improvements in pediatrics is limited. The objective of this review is to describe relevant data of some recent studies that may help to understand the potential of this technique in children with specific regard to effective and safe treatment of different developmental disorders in pediatrics. Overall, the results show that standard protocols of tDCS are well tolerated by children and have promising clinical effects. Nevertheless, treatment effects seem to be partially heterogeneous, and a case of a seizure in a child with previous history of infantile spasms and diagnosed epilepsy treated with tDCS for spasticity was reported. Further research is needed to determine safety criteria for tDCS use in children and to elucidate the particular neurophysiological changes induced by this neuromodulatory technique when it is applied in the developing brain.</jats:p>

Non-invasive Brain Stimulation for the Rehabilitation of Children and Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review

“…These search terms retrieved a total of 451 hits for rTMS (110 + 271 + 43 + 27) and 590 hits for tDCS (159 + 326 + 71 + 34) studies. Finally, the reference list of previous review articles on similar topics were checked (Vicario and Nitsche, 2013a; Palm et al, 2016; Hameed et al, 2017; Rivera-Urbina et al, 2017), leading to the inclusion of three more results.…”

“…Having neuromodulatory properties, NIBS has been viewed as an interesting tool to explore and to affect plasticity in a developing brain. Thus, the use of NIBS has been recently proposed also in pediatric populations affected by brain disorders (Vicario and Nitsche, 2013a; Palm et al, 2016; Hameed et al, 2017; Rivera-Urbina et al, 2017). In the last decades, indeed, an increase in interest in the application of NIBS in the recovery and rehabilitation of sensorimotor, executive functions, attention, and memory has been recorded.…”

Cerebral hemodynamics and electroencephalographic pattern in patients with symptomatic epilepsy at combined treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation

“…Тому особливий інтерес для лікування симптоматичної епілепсії викликає неінвазивний перспективний інструмент моделювання активності мозку -транскраніальна мікрополяризація (ТМП). Це різновид нейростимуляції, що дає змогу змінювати функціональний стан різних ділянок ЦНС під дією малого постійного струму (до 1 мА), котрий можна порівняти з біопотенціалами нейронів, і таким чином є можливість застосовувати його навіть у малюків [3]. ТМП, завдяки прямому впливу на нейрони, які знаходяться у піделектродному просторі, модулює синаптичну передачу регулюванням таких нейромедіаторів, як ГАМК, глутамат, серотонін, дофамін тощо [4].…”

What Do We Know about Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Major Depression?

“…While the efficacy of tDCS is being investigated in a broad array of psychiatric and neurological conditions [3,4], its potential in major depression is among the most promising [1]. Boggio et al [5] and others [6] have presented strong evidence for tDCS efficacy in major depression, with a significant decrease in depressive symptoms ranging from 24.8-40.4% in active conditions compared to 10.4-15.9% in sham.…”

“…For parents, tDCS is a treatment option that offers hope for a short-term, intensive treatment option, compared to the prospect of years of being medicated [20]. That being said, tDCS studies in children are mostly limited to treating neurodevelopmental conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, or cerebral palsy (CP) [4]. tDCS studies on pediatric depression are scarce [22].…”