Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used safely in pediatric populations with no serious adverse effects. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) may benefit from remote monitoring of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an adjunctive intervention to rehabilitation due to the potential for enhanced motor function, decreased treatment costs, and improved access to tDCS therapies. A prior study determined that families and children could successfully follow tDCS educational assistance in a remotely monitored mock tDCS setting. For this study, they devised a protocol to examine the viability, safety, and tolerability of at-home active transcranial direct current stimulation in children with CP under synchronous supervision from laboratory researchers. About 10 people were enlisted to take part in the study over the course of 5 days, with sessions on days 1, 2, and 3 and active tDCS on days 3-5. Stimulation levels for sham procedures were ramped up to 1.5 mA for 30 seconds and then backed down to 0 mA for another 30 seconds. Stimulation was applied for 20 minutes at a current of 1.0 to 1.5 mA, with adjustments made dependent on the individual child’s response. Photos of the montage setup and the quality of stimulation administration were used to determine feasibility. To evaluate the product’s safety and acceptability, the researchers conducted an adverse events survey, a motor evaluation using the Box and Blocks Test (BBT), and a setup ease/comfort survey. Following a tDCS setup previously demonstrated to be practical, they anticipated synchronous supervision of at-home tele neuromodulation to be pleasant and safe, with improved stimulation quality across repeated sessions. The results shed light on the possibility of remotely monitored tDCS in combination with rehabilitative therapies as a form of pediatric neurorehabilitation and pave the way for bigger clinical trials evaluating efficacy. In the end, this could improve treatment and quality of life for children and families dealing with CP by demonstrating the value of broader accessibility to non-invasive brain stimulation therapy.

Source: bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-022-03612-8

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