Abstract
Objectives
The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of ten sessions of active transcranial
direct current stimulation transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (2 mA) with
13:20:13 stimulation at M1 in women with fibromyalgia (FM). To the best of our knowledge,
this is the first article that uses this protocol in patients with FM. The main hypothesis
is that the protocol would be effective in decreasing pain and that the results would
last for up to 90 days.
Materials and Methods
This study was a randomized clinical trial with 35 women with FM divided into two
groups, active tDCS group and sham tDCS group. A conventional tDCS device was used
to deliver 2 mA for 13 minutes, with a 20-minute break followed by a further 13 minutes
of stimulation for ten sessions. The anodal stimulus was in the left primary motor
cortex M1 region. The primary outcome was a change in the visual analog scale and
the Survey of Pain Attitudes pain score at the end of treatment, after 30 days, and
90 days after the end of treatment. Secondary outcomes included changes in the Fibromyalgia
Impact Questionnaire, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale,
World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Fatigue Assessment
Scale. The Research Ethics Committee of the Centro Universitário da Grande Dourados
under registration number Certificado de Apresentação de Apreciação Ética approved
this research: 36444920.5.0000.5159. The study was registered in The Brazilian Registry
of Clinical Trials with the identifier RBR-8wc8rjq.
Results
The active tDCS group showed improvement in pain after ten sessions (p < 0.001), after 30 days (p < 0.01), and after 90 days (p < 0.001) compared with sham tDCS. In addition, improvement in quality of life (QoL)
and fatigue was observed in the active tDCS group.
Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that active tDCS with an intensity of 2 mA for ten
sessions was effective in decreasing pain and fatigue and improving QoL in patients
with FM.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 25, 2023
Accepted:
November 14,
2022
Received in revised form:
November 8,
2022
Received:
May 16,
2022
Footnotes
Source(s) of financial support: This study received funding from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
Conflict of Interest: The authors reported no conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 International Neuromodulation Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
