EP 25. Counteracting fatigue in MS with right parietal anodal tDCS

Hanken, Katrin; Bosse, Mona; Möhrke, Kim; Eling, P.A.T.M.; Kastrup, Andreas; Antal, Andrea; Hildebrandt, Helmut

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2016.05.080

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Hence, to compare performance at the beginning and the end of an ongoing cognitively demanding task. Behavioral changes associated with an increase in subjective exhaustion have repeatedly been observed in studies using this approach (Cehelyk et al, 2019;Gossmann et al, 2014;Hanken et al, 2016). Nevertheless, the literature remains heterogeneous regarding the existence of valid and reliable objective fatigability parameters (Linnhoff et al, 2019).…”

Section: Objective Fatigability Parametersmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The stimulation design of the present study differed from previous investigations. We administered the stimulations o ine and twice-weekly for four weeks, rather than in a single online session (Fiene et al, 2018;Hanken et al, 2016) Workman et al, 2020). Accordingly, our observations could be partly attributed to our nondaily stimulation design.…”

Section: Stimulation Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of repetitive twice-weekly tDCS stimulations on fatigue and fatigability in people with multiple sclerosis

Linnhoff

Haghikia

Zaehle

2022

Preprint

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Fatigue is associated with a dramatically decreased quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). It refers to a constant subjective feeling of exhaustion and a performance decline, known as fatigability. However, inconsistency and heterogeneity in defining and assessing fatigue have led to limited advances in understanding and treating MS-associated fatigue. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a promising, non-pharmaceutical treatment strategy for subjective fatigue. However, whether repetitive tDCS also have long-term effects on time-on-task performance has not yet been investigated. Thus, this pseudorandomized, single-blinded, and sham-controlled study aimed to investigate tDCS effects on behavioral and electrophysiological parameters. PwMS received eight twice-weekly 30-minute tDCS stimulations over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Fatigability was operationalized as time-on-task-related changes in reaction time variability and P300 amplitude. Additionally, subjective trait and state fatigue ratings were assessed. The results revealed a significant tDCS effect on subjective trait fatigue ratings that lasted at least four weeks after the stimulations. However, the ratings declined after both anodal and sham tDCS. No effects were found on subjective state fatigue and objective fatigability parameters. Linear Mixed Models and Bayesian Regression models likewise favored the absence of a tDCS effect on fatigability parameters. Our results confirm the complex relationship between MS-associated fatigue and fatigability. Reliable and clinically relevant parameters need to be established to extend the potential of tDCS for treating fatigability. Furthermore, our results indicate that consecutive stimulations rather than twice-weekly stimulations should be the preferred stimulation scheme in future studies.

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