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CC BY 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83(03): s00451806812
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806812
Original Article

Galvanic vestibular stimulation to rehabilitate postural instability in Parkinson's disease

Anna Paula Batista de Ávila Pires 
1   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Departamento de Oftalmologia e Otorrinolaringologia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
2   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
,
Ludimila Labanca 
2   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
3   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
,
Paulo Pereira Christo 
4   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
5   Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
,
Maurício Campelo Tavares 
6   Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Laboratório de Pesquisas em Processamento Digital de Sinais, Florianópolis SC, Brazil.
,
Jordana Carvalhais Barroso 
2   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
,
Maria Luiza Diniz 
2   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
,
Denise Utsch Gonçalves 
1   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Departamento de Oftalmologia e Otorrinolaringologia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
2   Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
› Institutsangaben Support The authors declare that the present work was funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Pr#x00F3;-Reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PRPQ/UFMG).
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Abstract

Background Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a non-invasive technique employed to rehabilitate balance by delivering low-intensity, short-duration electrical stimulation to the mastoid bones, effectively activating the vestibulospinal tract.

Objective To evaluate the effects of GVS on balance in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and postural instability.

Methods In this clinical study, 25 PD patients with postural instability in the ON phase (best effect of dopaminergic medication) underwent GVS. Balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and posturography on a force platform. Electrical current intensity was progressively increased between the mastoids, starting at 1.0 mA and reaching 3.5 mA by the 6th session, with this level maintained until the 8th session. Stimulation duration began at 9 minutes in the 1st session, increased to 30 minutes by the 3rd session, and was sustained through the 8th session.

Results A blinded comparison of pre- and post-GVS evaluations demonstrated significant improvements in BBS (p = 0.00001) and TUG (p = 0.00003) scores. Posturography showed an increase in the stability limit area (p = 0.026) and the general balance index (p = 0.001).

Conclusion In the therapeutic management of postural instability in PD, GVS emerges as a promising complementary strategy for enhancing balance. Further research is needed to determine whether these improvements persist after GVS cessation.

Registration of Clinical Trial: https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-22j8728.

Keywords

Parkinson Disease - Neurodegenerative Diseases - Postural Balance - Electric Stimulation - Rehabilitation

Authors' Contributions

APBAP, DUG: conceptualization, data curation, and writing – original draft; ; LL, DUG: formal analysis and project administration; APBAP, LL, PPC, MCT, DUG: methodology, visualization, and writing – review & editing; LL, PPC, MCT, DUG: resources; JCB, MLD: investigation; APBAP, LL, PPC, MCT, JCB, MLD, DUG: validation; DUG: funding acquisition.


Data Availability Statement

The contents underlying the research text are included in the manuscript.


Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive.


Associate Editor: Renato Puppi Munhoz.




Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 03. Juli 2024

Angenommen: 27. Dezember 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
22. April 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Anna Paula Batista de Ávila Pires, Ludimila Labanca, Paulo Pereira Christo, Maurício Campelo Tavares, Jordana Carvalhais Barroso, Maria Luiza Diniz, Denise Utsch Gonçalves. Galvanic vestibular stimulation to rehabilitate postural instability in Parkinson's disease. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83: s00451806812.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806812
 

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