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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders pp 329–339Cite as

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Disorders of Consciousness

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Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive cortical stimulation modulating cortical excitability, has been previously reported to transiently improve working memory and attention by stimulating the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPF) in patients with stroke as well as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. As regards disorders of consciousness (DOC), we have recently shown that a single session of tDCS over the left DLPFC can improve sign of consciousness in about 43 % of patients in minimally conscious state (MCS). The transient clinical improvement observed in patients in MCS following tDCS seem to require residual grey matter and metabolic activity in the stimulated area and in structures known to be involved in awareness and arousal, such as the precuneus and the thalamus. These findings suggest that tDCS might be a feasible treatment to promote recovery of new signs of consciousness in patients with DOC. Nevertheless, it also suggests that some patients may be more suited to benefit from tDCS than others. Apart from clinical treatment, tDCS combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation has been shown to induce different responses in terms of connectivity and excitability in MCS as compared with unresponsive patients.

Although tDCS on patients with DOC has not been yet fully investigated, the so far reported studies have revealed promising results as regards improvement of signs of consciousness.

We here provide an overview of the tDCS studies on patients with DOC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coma Science Group, GIGA-Research, Cyclotron Research Center, University and University Hospital of Liège, GIGA-Research B34-Quartier Hôpital, 4000, Liege, Belgium

    Thibaut Aurore Ph.D., Di Perri Carol M.D. & Laureys Steven M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Thibaut Aurore Ph.D.

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  1. Thibaut Aurore Ph.D.
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  2. Di Perri Carol M.D.
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  3. Laureys Steven M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Thibaut Aurore Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Neuromodulation Department and Institute of Psychiatry Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), University Hospital and Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    André Brunoni

  2. Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environments and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany

    Michael Nitsche

  3. School of Psychiatry Black Dog Institute & St George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Colleen Loo

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Aurore, T., Carol, D.P., Steven, L. (2016). Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Disorders of Consciousness. In: Brunoni, A., Nitsche, M., Loo, C. (eds) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33967-2_21

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