Non-invasive brain stimulation to treat cognitive symptoms of Parkinson ’s disease

Transcranial non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques include particularly repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), although other non-invasive stimulation techniques have also been employed. The rTMS uses a rapidly changing magnetic field to induce currents and action potentials in underlying brain tissue. The tDCS involves the application of weak (1 –2mA) electrical currents to modulate neuronal membrane potential. Although the precise mechanisms of NIBS aftereffects have not been fully elucidated, rTMS has been shown to modulate several neurotransmitter systems, increase neurotrophic factors, and induce changes on neuronal synapses by long-t erm potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD)-like mechanisms (for review, see Rektorova and Anderkova 2017) [1].
Source: Parkinsonism and Related Disorders - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research