ANODAL TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION (TDCS) APPLIED TO THE MOTOR CORTEX AMELIORATES FREEZING OF GAIT IN PATIENTS AFFECTED BY PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Background: Progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is frequently characterized by the occurrence of freezing of gait (FOG), which generally does not improve with dopaminergic therapy and with current available surgical therapies. Recent evidences show that motor symptoms may be ameliorated by means of non-invasive brain stimulation techiniques in PD (transcranial current direct stimulation, TDCS; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, RTMS). Objective: To investigate the efficacy of anodal TDCS in the treatment of FOG in PD. Excitatory anodal tDCS was applied unilaterally to the motor and premotor cortices controlateral to the most affected leg. Methods: randomized, double-blind, sh…