Brain Stimul
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Previous studies indicate that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with anode over motor cortex (M1) and cathode over contralateral supraorbital region (SO) may be effective in reducing pain, but these studies are limited in number and have not focused on older adults with osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ Although not consistent in all pain measurements, our findings demonstrate promising clinical efficacy for reduction in pain perception for older adults with knee OA.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation acutely improves spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in healthy young men: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Despite positive outcomes of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) via the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN), the mechanisms underlying these outcomes remain unclear. Additionally, previous studies have not been controlled the possible placebo effects of tVNS. ⋯ tVNS acutely improves cBRS and autonomic modulation in healthy young men.
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Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, safe, and efficacious treatment for depression. TMS has been shown to normalize abnormal functional connectivity of cortico-cortical circuits in depression and baseline functional connectivity of these circuits predicts treatment response. Less is known about the relationship between functional connectivity of frontostriatal circuits and treatment response. ⋯ In an exploratory analysis, higher functional connectivity between the left DLPFC and striatum predicted better treatment response. Our findings suggest that the antidepressant mechanism of action of TMS may require connectivity from cortex proximal to the stimulation site to the striatum.
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is commonly used to measure the effects of stroke on corticomotor excitability, intracortical function, and interhemispheric interactions. The interhemispheric inhibition model posits that recovery of motor function after stroke is linked to rebalancing of asymmetric interhemispheric inhibition and corticomotor excitability. This model forms the rationale for using neuromodulation techniques to suppress unaffected motor cortex excitability, and facilitate affected motor cortex excitability. However, the evidence base for using neuromodulation techniques to promote post-stroke motor recovery is inconclusive. ⋯ The neurophysiological effects of stroke are primarily localised to the affected hemisphere, and there is no clear evidence for hyper-excitability of the unaffected hemisphere or imbalanced interhemispheric inhibition. This indicates that facilitating affected M1 excitability directly may be more beneficial than suppressing unaffected M1 excitability for promoting post-stroke recovery.
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Comparative Study
Cost-effectiveness of deep brain stimulation versus treatment as usual for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but requires expensive medical procedures. To date, no study has examined the cost-effectiveness of DBS for OCD. ⋯ This study indicates DBS for OCD is cost-effective in the long-term, especially when rechargeable batteries are taken into account.