Effects of add-on transcranial direct current stimulation on pain in Korean patients with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Despite promising preliminary results of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), several issues need to be addressed, including its limited efficacy, low response rate, and poor tolerability. We investigated the efficacy and safety of tDCS as an add-on treatment for chronic pain in Korean patients with FM. This study enrolled 46 patients who were refractory to pain medications from May 2016 to February 2017. A conventional tDCS device was used to supply 2 mA of current for 20 min on five consecutive days. The primary end-point was a change in visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score at the end of treatment; secondary end-points included changes in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS) scores. After tDCS, 46 patients showed clinical improvements in VAS pain scores on days 6, 13, and 36 compared with day 0 (p < 0.001). Improvement in FIQ was seen on day 13. The BDI decreased significantly on days 6 and 36, and BFI improved significantly on days 6 and 13. There were no significant improvements in STAI-I, STAI-II, and MOS-SS scores after tDCS. No serious adverse events were observed. Our results suggest that tDCS can result in significant pain relief in FM patients and may be an effective add-on treatment.

Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Pharmacotherapy in Pain Management in Patients with Chronic Pain

“…The results indicated the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in the components of miscellaneous pains, pain assessment, affective perception, and sensory perception. The results are consistent with the results of studies performed by Kim et al ( 9), Kang et al (24), and Ngernyam et al (25). Kang et al (24) suggest that tDCS can result in significant pain relief in patients with fibromyalgia and might be an effective add-on treatment.…”

“…The results are consistent with the results of studies performed by Kim et al ( 9), Kang et al (24), and Ngernyam et al (25). Kang et al (24) suggest that tDCS can result in significant pain relief in patients with fibromyalgia and might be an effective add-on treatment. Ngernyam et al (25) observed a significant association between a decrease in pain intensity and an increase in peak theta-alpha frequency at the stimulation site in patients with neuropathic pain from spinal cord injury.…”

Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled study

“…Briefly, a painless electric current is applied to the scalp and is believed to generate analgesic effects by modulating resting membrane potentials of neurons and pain processing pathways in the targeted cortical area [ 21 ]. Recent studies have shown preliminary efficacy in the clinical and home-based settings in patients with fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis [ 18 , 19 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Potential Neuroprotective Role of Sugammadex: A Clinical Study on Cognitive Function Assessment in an Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery Approach and an Experimental Study

“…Furthermore, as stated earlier, peripheral parameters affect the regulation of neuroinflammation. SG has been reported to affect peripheral parameters, such as coagulation reduction ( Kang J. H. et al, 2020 ; Kang W. S. et al, 2020 ), return of neuromuscular signals ( Biricik et al, 2019 ), and peripheral inflammation ( Yeşiltaş et al, 2021 ). Moreover, plasma inflammatory and neuronal injury markers have been reported by surgery and anesthesia procedures ( Subramaniyan and Terrando, 2019 ).…”