Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on functional walking capacity in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

To investigate the effects of a single session of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) or left temporal cortex (LTC) during treadmill training (TT) on functional walking capacity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Seventeen children underwent TT combined with tDCS over M1, tDCS over the LTC and sham stimulation. The Six-Minute Walk Test was performed before, immediately after and 20 minutes after each intervention. TT combined with atDCS over the LTC resulted in a better performance in terms of heart rate, respiratory rate and perception of respiratory and physical effort. TT combined with tDCS over M1 and the LTC achieved similar results for gait speed and distance travelled on the test. Anodal tDCS can be considered a promising intervention for functional walking capacity in children with CP.