Daily Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Improve Brain Function in Adults with Altered Consciousness After Severe Brain Injury

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS, a painless, non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses low-intensity electrical currents to target specific brain areas. This method aims to promote brain plasticity and improve function in people with chronic neurological conditions and those with impaired consciousness after severe brain injury. The study focuses on whether long-term tDCS can have lasting benefits for patients in altered states of consciousness, building on prior findings that a single session can temporarily improve signs of consciousness in minimally conscious patients. The study compares two groups one receiving real tDCS and the other receiving placebo stimulation. Real stimulation involves 20 minutes of frontal brain stimulation daily, five days a week for four weeks, with electrodes placed on specific scalp locations. The placebo group receives brief five-second stimulation under the same schedule. Both groups undergo behavioral assessments using the Coma Recovery Scale-R CRS-R before and after the stimulation period. Following the treatment phase, a two-month rest period is included for the real stimulation group. Participants will be assessed regularly using the CRS-R to evaluate changes in consciousness levels over the four weeks of stimulation and after the rest period. The study will collect behavioral data to measure cognitive evolution and monitor safety. Throughout the trial, patients responses to stimulation and any changes in their state of consciousness will be carefully recorded to determine the persistence of tDCS effects. Overall participation spans several months, including treatment and follow-up phases.

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Altered States of Consciousness