Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With Proprioceptive Training in Blind People

Summary

Postural control requires the integration of the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems. Vision, in particular, exerts a considerable influence on body sway during activities that require balance. The investigators aimed to analyze the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with proprioceptive exercises on postural control in individuals between 18 and 55 years old, with congenital and acquired blindness.

The intervention will occur in three phases: 1 - Determine differences in postural control and gait between individuals with congenital and acquired blindness with and without the use of a guide stick when wearing shoes and when barefoot; 2 - Will be a pilot study containing 10 subjects in each group (total of 40) where a sample size estimation will be analyzed based on a gait and balance parameters result from a ten consecutive days treatment protocol consisting of tDCS plus proprioceptive; 3 - A treatment protocol will be conducted in which the participants will be allocated to four groups: G1 - active tDCS + dynamic proprioceptive exercises; G2 - sham tDCS + dynamic proprioceptive exercises; G3 - active tDCS + static proprioceptive exercises; and G4 - sham tDCS + static proprioceptive exercises.

Evaluations will involve a camera system for three-dimensional gait analysis, a force plate to measure the postural control, and electromyography to analyze the muscle activities. Dynamic stability will be determined using the Timed Up and Go test and static stability will be analyzed with the aid of the force plate.

The viability of this study will allow the determination of differences in postural control between individuals with congenital and acquired blindness, the analysis of the effect of tDCS on postural control, and the establishment of a rehabilitation protocol.

Conditions

• Blindness, Acquired
• Blindness Congenital

Interventions

DEVICE

active tDCS

TDCS will be administered using with two sponge (non-metallic) surface electrodes (5 x 7 cm2) moistened with saline solution. For stimulation of the motor motor, somatosensory, and visual cortices with a current of 2mA for 20 minutes. The cathode will be positioned in the medial supraorbital region.

DEVICE

sham tDCS

Sham TDCS will be administered using with two sponge (non-metallic) surface electrodes (5 x 7 cm2) moistened with saline solution The stimulator will only be switched on for the first 30 seconds, giving the participant the initial sensation of tDCS, but no active stimulation throughout the remainder of the session the proprioceptive exercise session

OTHER

Dynamic proprioceptive exercises

The dynamic proprioceptive exercises will be conducted as follows: 1) walking slowly then more quickly on a trampoline; 2) walking backward with one foot behind the other; 3) walking forward on a beam; 4) going up and down a flight of stairs; and 5) sitting on a Swiss exercise ball (65 cm) and performing laterolateral, anteroposterior, circling movements and bouncing. Activities will be performed in three one-minute sets.

OTHER

static proprioceptive exercises

The static exercises will be conducted as follows: 1) standing on toes with feet apart; and 2) with feet together; 3) standing on only right leg without support; and 4) on only left leg without support; and 5) standing with heel of right (or left) foot touching toes of left (or right) foot with feet in a straight line over on an unstable surface (wobble board) performed in six sets of 30 seconds each, with a one-minute rest interval between sets

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Salgado Institute of Integral Health

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Rodolfo B Parreira, MSc · Salgado Institute of Integral Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-09-30

Primary Completion

2021-05-30

Completion

2021-07-30

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations