Abstract:
Neuromodulation applied in neurological and psychiatric disorders is becoming an option for patients suffering from these conditions. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) development has been steady thanks to the evidence coming from clinical trials, and the technological advances that keep improving its efficacy and safety profile. The use of NIBS has significant advantages, such as the relationship between cost and benefits and having relatively mild adverse effects. Two of the most investigated techniques are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which can be considered at the forefront of possible therapeutic neuromodulation techniques. rTMS and tDCS might have an important therapeutic value in different neurological and psychiatric conditions, especially when combining their effects with traditional pharmacological treatments or therapies.
Therapies for severe neurological/psychiatric conditions still are not satisfactory. To date the best approach seems to be the drug therapy. However, poor compliance due to adverse effects, variable clinical results, and minimal functional gains are often the main issues affecting patients and limiting providers treating options. The possibility to combine neuro/biofeedback plus traditional therapies and NIBS is to minimize disability and to optimize recovery. This is thought to be achieved by modulation of plastic changes in the brain. Therefore, adjunct interventions that can augment the clinical response of cognitive and behavioral training, might enhance therapy- induced recovery in neurological and psychiatric populations.
In this context, NIBS appears to be an interesting option as an add-on intervention to standard therapies. Noninvasive methods of inducing electrical currents into the brain have proved to be promising for the facilitation of long-lasting plastic changes in cognitive, motor, and sensory systems. These techniques represent powerful methods for priming neural networks when combined with cognitive-behavioral training. Thus, their joint applications can facilitate clinical responses due to plastic changes leading to more remarkable and outlasting clinical and functional gains. In this workshop we will review the principles of noninvasive neuromodulation, present the evidence behind rTMS and tDCS, and discuss how these techniques can be properly integrated to different interventions. Clinical cases are going to be presented and discussed.
Presented by: Leon Morales-Quezada, Mirret El-Hagrassy & Deniz Doruk Camsari
