Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in dysphagic patients

Abstract

To determine the effects and effectiveness of transcranial direct current electrical stimulation in patients with complaints of gluttony. RESEARCH STRATEGIES: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, qualitative and quantitative article. PubMed, ScienceDirect, and BVS Regional Portal were used as databases. They were only clinically controlled and/or randomized clinical trials from 2011 to 2020. SELECTION CRITERIA: Descriptors were used in a combined way: [(dysphagia AND tDCS) OR (dysphagia AND "transcranial stimulation") OR (tDCS AND swallowing)]. DATA ANALYSIS: Meta-analysis was performed using R statistical software version 4.0.2. When grouping effect sizes in Meta-analysis, two approaches were used: the Fixed Effects Model and the Random Effects model. RESULTS: After applying the selection criteria, 5 articles met the requirements for qualitative analysis and 3 for quantitative analysis (meta-analysis). The studies included had a mean of 5.2 years ± 2.38 years of publication and population obtained from patients with changes in gluttony after stroke. A stimulation modality chosen for intervention was the anodic type (n = 5; 100%), prioritizing a representation of the pharynx in the cortex engine, ranging from 4 to 30 combined tDCS. CONCLUSION: There was clinical improvement in the patients, with therapeutic advances being important in the medium term. It is noteworthy that the importance of conducting clinical studies with a greater number of participants is to carry out possible greater sedimentation of the technique in rehabilitating motor, sensory, and/or mixed swallowing genesis disorders.