Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38483566›Full record

Trial reportExperimental brain research2024

Comparing the effects of cerebellar and prefrontal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation concurrent with postural training on balance and fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Narges Jahantigh Akbari, Nahid Tahan, Sedigheh Sadat Naimi, Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban, Nahid Beladi Moghadam, Maryam Zoghi

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Experimental brain research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on motor function in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Narges Jahantigh AkbariStudent Research Committee, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, PhD Candidate of Physiotherapy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nahid TahanDepartment of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Damavand street, Emam Hossein square, Tehran, 1616913111, Iran. nahidta2431@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2457-8056
Sedigheh Sadat NaimiPhysiotherapy Research Center, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alireza Akbarzadeh BaghbanProteomics Research Center, Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nahid Beladi MoghadamDepartment of Neurology, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam ZoghiDiscipline of Physiotherapy, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia.
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences · IRImam Hossein Hospital · IRFederation University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fatigue and balance disorders are common challenges experienced by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) individuals. The purpose of this study was to compare the concurrent effects of cerebellar and prefrontal anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) with postural training on balance and fatigue in MS patients. 51 patients were evaluated to randomly allocation to a-tDCS over cerebellum, a-tDCS over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and sham group. 46 individuals (n = 16 in experimental groups and n = 14 in control group) followed treatment. All the groups received 10 sessions of postural training. The experimental groups underwent a-tDCS with a current of 1.5 mA for a period of 20 min. While, in the sham group, tDCS was only activated for 30 s and then turned off. The treatment included 10 sessions for four weeks. Before and after intervention, fatigue and balance were assessed using Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance Score (BBS), respectively. There was found a significant reduction in fatigue in the group receiving a-tDCS over the prefrontal cortex with postural training compared to the other two groups (P < 0.001). Additionally, a significant improvement was found in balance in the group receiving a-tDCS over the cerebellum concurrent with postural training in comparison to the other two groups (P < 0.001). Besides, in the sham group, the significant results were not reported in the variables. (P > 0.001). The results demonstrated that a-tDCS enhances the effects of postural training on balance and fatigue in MS patients.

Indexed as

CerebellumFatigueMultiple SclerosisPostural BalancePrefrontal CortexTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultBalanceBrain stimulationCerebellumFatigueMultiple sclerosisPostural training

Identifiers

PMID38483566
OpenAlexW4392811979

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.