112
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review Articles

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on vestibulopathy disorders: a systematic review

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon show all
Pages 1-9 | Published online: 29 Apr 2022
 

Abstract

Objectives

New types of treatments have emerged, such as non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), to treat chronic vestibular dysfunction (VD). Considering that NIBS is a promising approach to reduce VD symptoms, this review was aimed to analyze the effects of NIBS in patients with VD.

Methods

We adhered to the methods described in the Cochrane Handbook for Intervention Reviews. The eligibility criteria were as follows: (a) individuals with vestibulopathy having clinical and neuroimaging; (b) Interventions: non-invasive brain stimulation, this intervention comprised transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS); (c) Control: any comparison or sham; and (d) Outcomes: dizziness and balance. We included randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies from July 2004 to February 2020. We searched the PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, and Ovid databases. Two pairs of reviewers independently screened all titles and abstracts. Two authors assessed the risk of bias for each study using the criteria outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to rate the certainty of the evidence for each outcome.

Results

We identified 136 studies, and included two studies. Both studies used tDCS application. One study used anodal cerebellar tDCS or sham at 2 mA for 25 min associated with vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT), and the other study used anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) for 25–30 min associated with VRT at home. Both studies showed clinical improvement in the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores. Both studies presented higher-quality evidence on the GRADE scale and a low risk of bias.

Conclusions

Based on two studies, anodal tDCS over F3 or the cerebellum associated with VRT improved chronic vestibular symptoms.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

There are no offers available at the current time.

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.