Original Paper
Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Tongue Motor Function
2020 Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 162-169
Details
2020 Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 162-169
Introduction: In Japan, it is predicted that the number of patients with dysphagia will continue to increase in the rapidly aging society. Rehabilitation is the first choice for the treatment of dysphagia, but it is often found not to be effective enough in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to examine whether transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve tongue function, which is important for swallowing.
Subjects: Twenty healthy adults (5 males and 15 females, average age 39.7±11.9) participated in the study.
Method: Anodal stimulation (1.5 mA, 10 min, 5 times) and sham stimulation (0 mA, 10 min, 5 times) were randomly allocated at intervals of 4 weeks, so that the subjects were blinded as to which stimulation they were receiving. During stimulation, we performed tongue strength training and oral diadochokinesis.
Results: Anodal stimulation showed a significant increase in maximal tongue pressure and Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST) whereas sham stimulation did not.
Conclusion: In this study, increases in maximum tongue pressure and RSST were observed. These results suggest that tDCS is effective in improving tongue movement function.
