Therapeutical impacts of transcranial direct current stimulation on drug-resistant epilepsy in pediatric patients: A double-blind parallel-group randomized clinical trial

• DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2022.107074
• Publication Date: 2023-01-05T16:57:27Z
• Authors: Farah Ashrafzadeh; Javad Akhondian; Narges Hashemi; Mahla esmaeilzadeh; Ali Ghanaee; Hanieh Yavarzadeh; Shima Imannezhad; Nazanin Saeedi Zand; Hanieh Sadat Mirz...; Mehran Beiraghi T...
• Keywords: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Neurostimulation; Drug Resistant Epilepsy

Drug-resistant epilepsy is a challenging problem in pediatrics. Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) is a non-invasive neurostimulation technique suggested as a promising method for treating epilepsy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of TDCS in focal epilepsy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.We conducted a randomized sham-controlled study with 18 subjects between 6 and 16 years of age, divided equally into two groups. TDCS was performed in 20-minute daily stimulation protocol for five days for both groups. The current intensity was one mA for the first three days, increasing to 1.5 mA on day four and 2 mA on the last day of stimulation. EEG was done before and after the intervention.There was a significant reduction in seizure duration in the case group compared with the sham group.five consecutive days of performing TDCS significantly reduced seizure duration in children with focal Drug-resistant epilepsy. However,further studies in this field are necessary to test the effectiveness and set up a coherent and comprehensive protocol.