NCT06297538

Parkinson's Disease and Gamma-transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

Targeting the Motor Cortex in Parkinson's Disease by Gamma-transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: Pathophysiological and Therapeutic Implications

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 84 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Neuromed IRCCS · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Cortical-basal ganglia gamma oscillations are pathologically reduced in Parkinson's disease (PD) and the plasticity of the primary motor cortex (M1) is impaired. Enhancing gamma oscillations through transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), a non-invasive neurophysiological tool that modulates cortical rhythms, can restore this alteration. However, whether tACS-related normalization of M1 plasticity results in positive clinical effects is unknown. Motor learning is also impaired in PD and gamma oscillations play a relevant role in different forms of learning in humans. Nevertheless, whether motor learning abnormalities relate to reduced gamma oscillations in PD is another unclear issue. It can be hypothesized that gamma oscillations impairment in M1 contributes to altered motor control, plasticity and learning in PD. Accordingly, in this project, the authors intend to test whether gamma-tACS on M1 in PD patients ameliorates motor performance and learning, as objectively assessed with kinematic techniques.

Conditions

• Parkinson Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	gamma transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)	Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) will be delivered using a BrainSTIM (EMS, Italy) connected to two electrodes (5x5cm) enclosed in sponges soaked with saline solution. One electrode will be centred over the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) hotspot and the other over P3. tACS will be delivered at peak-to-peak amplitude of 1 milliampere (mA), and with 3-seconds ramp-up and down periods. The stimulation frequency will be 70 Hz, as representative of the endogenous motor network-related gamma frequency.
DEVICE	sham transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)	Sham-tACS will consist of ramp-up and down periods and only 1-second stimulation at 1 mA amplitude.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-04-29
• Primary completion: 2024-10-29
• Completion: 2026-04-29
• First posted: 2024-03-07
• Last updated: 2024-03-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy