| In patients with fibromyalgia transcranial | | | | 21-day follow-up period.At patients who are |
| direct current stimulation (tDCS) provides | | | | very refractory to other types of medical |
| significant pain relief that can last for | | | | treatment the improvement have been seen as a |
| several weeks.This technique has rare and | | | | very significant reduction in pain.A |
| minimal adverse effects shows the studies | | | | reduction of pain might be associated with an |
| made at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. | | | | improvement in the motor function .The motor |
| | | | cortex stimulation leads to a decrease in |
| Studies have been made through 32 women with | | | | reaction time in the contralateral limb. |
| fibromyalgia and moderate to severe pain into | | | | |
| three groups: one group received tDCS of the | | | | The synaptic effects induced by this |
| primary motor cortex, another received tDCS | | | | technique might explain the sustained effects |
| of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the | | | | of this technique.The phenomenon observed |
| third received sham stimulation.Patients | | | | during learning - the long-term potentiation |
| received a 2 mA current for 20 minutes for 5 | | | | (LTP) is similar with a synaptic effect |
| days or sham stimulation delivered on the | | | | caused by the direct current stimulation.It |
| same schedule. | | | | have been observed that five sessions of tDCS |
| | | | increased the magnitude and duration of these |
| Before and after tDCS using a visual analog | | | | effects. |
| scale, the presence of tender points, the | | | | |
| patient's global assessment and the | | | | Local reactions such as transient mild skin |
| clinician's assessment pain levels were | | | | redness in the site of application, |
| assessed.After this study the investigators | | | | sleepiness during the session and dizziness |
| have reported that tDCS of the primary motor | | | | after stimulation have been met to a minority |
| cortex was significantly more effective for | | | | of subjects.tDCS is a simple, non-expensive |
| pain relief than tDCS of the dorsolateral | | | | technique of non-invasive brain stimulation |
| prefrontal cortex or sham stimulation.The | | | | that has shown to be a powerful technique of |
| similarly lower levels of pain relief have | | | | brain activity modulation since the 50s and |
| been achieved also by the latter two groups. | | | | 60s.In the future this technique might have a |
| | | | significant impact in neuropsychiatry. |
| The effects of tDCS persisted through the | | | | |