News
New publication – Non-invasive brain stimulation for treating neurogenic dysarthria: A systematic review
23 November 2021
CATCH member, Dr Rebecca Palmer, and colleagues from the University of Sheffield have a published article in Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
Although non-invasive central and peripheral stimulations are accruing support as promising treatments in different neurological conditions, their effects on dysarthria have not been systematically investigated.
The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence base of non-invasive stimulation for treating dysarthria, identify which stimulation parameters have the most potential for treatment and determine safety risks.
A systematic review with meta-analysis, when possible, involving publications indexed in MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE CINHAL the Linguistics and Language Behavioral Abstracts, Web of Science, Cochrane Register of Control Trials and two trial registries was completed. Articles were searched in December 2018 and updated in June 2021 using keywords related to brain and electrical stimulation, dysarthria and research design.
Trials with randomised, cross-over or quasi-experimental designs, involving a control group, and investigating treatment of neurogenic dysarthria with non-invasive stimulation were included. Methodological quality was determined with the Cochrane's Risk of Bias-2 tool.
Evidence for use of non-invasive brain stimulation in treating dysarthria remains inconclusive. Research trials that provide reliable and replicable findings are required.