ArticleBiology direct2023
Combined treatment of nerve growth factor and transcranical direct current stimulations to improve outcome in children with vegetative state after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Article in Biology direct, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurofunctional and Clinical Effects of Intranasal Human Recombinant Nerve Growth Factor in Children with Acquired Brain Injury.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Toward an NGF-based therapy for Rett syndrome.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- The Role of [Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Clinical-grade intranasal NGF fuels neurological and metabolic functions of Mecp2-deficient mice.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Intranasal Human-Recombinant Nerve Growth Factor Enhances Motor and Cognitive Function Recovery in a Child with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Multifaceted Roles of Nerve Growth Factor: A Comprehensive Review with a Special Insight into Pediatric Perspectives.Biology · 2024Review
- 1953-2023. Seventy Years of the Nerve Growth Factor: A Potential Novel Treatment in Neurological Diseases?Aging and disease · 2024Review
- The History of Nerve Growth Factor: From Molecule to Drug.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Intranasal human-recombinant NGF administration improves outcome in children with post-traumatic unresponsive wakefulness syndrome.Biology direct · 2023Article
- Neuromodulation for pediatric disorders of consciousness: bridging the gap between adult evidence and developmental reality.Frontiers in neurologyReview
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Authors and funding
22 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOut-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the most dramatic events in pediatric age and, despite advanced neurointensive care, the survival rate remains low. Currently, no effective treatments can restore neuronal loss or produce significant improvement in these patients. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is a neurotrophin potentially able to counteract many of the deleterious effects triggered by OHCA. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to be neuroprotective in many neurological diseases, such as motor deficit and cognitive impairment. Children with the diagnosis of chronic vegetative state after OHCA were enrolled. These patients underwent a combined treatment of intranasal administration of human recombinant NGF (hr-NGF), at a total dose of 50 gamma/kg, and tDCS, in which current intensity was increased from zero to 2 mA from the first 5 s of stimulation and maintained constant for 20 min. The treatment schedule was performed twice, at one month distance each. Neuroradiogical evaluation with Positron Emission Tomography scan (PET), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Electroencephalography (EEG) and Power Spectral Density of the brain (PSD) was determined before the treatment and one month after the end. Neurological assessment was deepened by using modified Ashworth Scale, Gross Motor Function Measure, and Disability Rating Scale.
resultsThree children with a chronic vegetative state secondary to OHCA were treated. The combined treatment with hr-NGF and tDCS improved functional (PET and SPECT) and electrophysiological (EEG and PSD) assessment. Also clinical conditions improved, mainly for the reduction of spasticity and with the acquisition of voluntary finger movements, improved facial mimicry and reaction to painful stimuli. No side effects were reported.
conclusionsThese promising preliminary results and the ease of administration of this treatment make it worthwhile to be investigated further, mainly in the early stages from OHCA and in patients with better baseline neurological conditions, in order to explore more thoroughly the benefits of this new approach on neuronal function recovery after OHCA.
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