• Brain Stimul · Nov 2015

    Randomized Controlled Trial

    Clinical Response to tDCS Depends on Residual Brain Metabolism and Grey Matter Integrity in Patients With Minimally Conscious State.

    • Aurore Thibaut, Carol Di Perri, Camille Chatelle, Marie-Aurélie Bruno, Mohamed Ali Bahri, Sarah Wannez, Andrea Piarulli, Claire Bernard, Charlotte Martial, Lizette Heine, Roland Hustinx, and Steven Laureys.
    • Coma Science Group, GIGA Research, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: athibaut@ulg.ac.be.
    • Brain Stimul. 2015 Nov 1; 8 (6): 1116-23.

    BackgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was recently shown to promote recovery of voluntary signs of consciousness in some patients in minimally conscious state (MCS). However, it remains unclear why clinical improvement is only observed in a subgroup of patients.ObjectivesIn this retrospective study, we investigated the relationship between tDCS responsiveness and neuroimaging data from MCS patients.MethodsStructural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and clinical electroencephalography (EEG) were acquired in 21 sub-acute and chronic MCS patients (8 tDCS responders) who subsequently (<48 h) received left dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF) tDCS in a double-blind randomized cross-over trial. The behavioral data have been published elsewhere (Thibaut et al., Neurology, 2014).ResultsGrey matter atrophy was observed in non-responders as compared with responders in the left DLPF cortex, the medial-prefrontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, the hippocampi, part of the rolandic regions, and the left thalamus. FDG-PET showed hypometabolism in non-responders as compared with responders in the left DLPF cortex, the medial-prefrontal cortex, the precuneus, and the thalamus. EEG did not show any difference between the two groups.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the transient increase of signs of consciousness following left DLPF tDCS in patients in MCS require grey matter preservation and residual metabolic activity in cortical and subcortical brain areas known to be involved in attention and working memory. These results further underline the critical role of long-range cortico-thalamic connections in consciousness recovery, providing important information for guidelines on the use of tDCS in disorders of consciousness.Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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