Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Excitability of the Diaphragmatic Primary Motor Cortex

Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

Status: Completed

Conditions: Excitability of Diaphragmatic Primary Motor Cortex

Treatments: Device: Eldith DC stimulator ( Magstim Company Ltd. UK)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01548586

C10-52

2011-A00508-33 (Registry Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non invasive, painless, harmless way to modulate cerebral cortex excitability. It was shown that anodal stimulation increases cortical excitability and the cathodal one decreases it (Nitsche and Paulus, 2000; Lang et al. 2004). To date, there is no data in the literature regarding the effect of tDCS on the corticodiaphragmatic pathways. This preliminary study aims to test and validate the modulating effect of tDCS on the excitability of the primary motor cortex dedicated to the hemi-diaphragms in a sample of healthy subjects, as a prelude to further large studies in patients with paretic hemi-diaphragms. Diaphragmatic motor evoked potentials will be assessed before and after applications of three different modalities of tDCS (anodal, cathodal and placebo).

Full description

We therefore expect to observe a significant increase of the mean values of the right hemidiaphragm's MEP's amplitudes after application of anodal tDCS compared to the baseline MEP obtained before this treatment.

Enrollment: 12 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Right handed,
• Healthy male volunteers
• Aged ≥ 18 and ≤ 35 years
• No history of neurological or respiratory disease
• BMI (body mass index < 30)

Exclusion criteria

• Female sex
• Vulnerable people as defined in the provisions relating to biomedical researches and described in the Code of Public Health.
• Recent or ongoing use of antibiotic drugs, antidepressants or psychotropic drugs.
• Recent hospitalization (within 3 months).
• No affiliation to a social security system.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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12 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Anodal tDCS

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Device: Eldith DC stimulator ( Magstim Company Ltd. UK)

Cathodal tDCS

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Device: Eldith DC stimulator ( Magstim Company Ltd. UK)

Placebo type tDCS

Placebo Comparator group

Treatment:

Device: Eldith DC stimulator ( Magstim Company Ltd. UK)