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Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that occur in early childhood. Common symptoms of CP include abnormal muscle tone, exaggerated reflexes, poor muscle coordination, lack of balance, irregular posture and tremors. There may be problems associated with vision, hearing, swallowing, speaking and sensation. Sleep, digestive and bowel disorders may also be present in children with CP.
Common symptoms of CP include abnormal muscle tone, exaggerated reflexes, poor muscle coordination, lack of balance, irregular posture and tremors. There may be problems associated with vision, hearing , swallowing, speaking and sensation. Sleep, digestive and bowel disorders may also be present in children with CP.
In CP, abnormal brain development interferes with the normal transmission of neuronal signals from the central nervous system to the rest of the body, leading to compromised bodily functions, developmental delays and permanent motor disability. The exact cause of CP though is often unknown. Possible risk factors include preterm birth, infections during pregnancy, a difficult delivery and head trauma during the first few years of life.
Our range of precision medical devices that deliver a combination of transcranial pulse current stimulation (tPCS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to manage symptoms of CP. tPCS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation technique that employs low intensity pulsed current to influence neuronal signaling in the cortex, activating or inhibiting neural circuits to foster the neuro-recovery processes. TENS is applied on the spastic muscles to reduce muscle tone, relief pain and improve joint range of movement to enhance gross motor abilities. tPCS directly targets efferent signals (i.e signals that descend from the brain to the periphery) and thus intervene where the aberrant signalling begins. TENS complements tPCS by mechanisms of spike-time dependent plasticity, which means that the descending volleys of neuronal signals from the brain elicited by tPCS may reach the corticospinal-motoneuronal synapses in the spinal cord just prior to antidromic neuronal signals elicited by TENS, and this paired modulation process is better able to engage endogenous plasticity to improve motor recovery [Liu et al 2021].
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a group of neurological disorders with severe developmental disability that create problems with thinking, feeling, language and social interaction with others. ASD exists on a spectrum, some children with ASD show mild symptoms while others show elevated levels of behavioural problems that can cause excess parental stress and negatively impact family functioning. Core symptoms in ASD include atypical eye contact, impairments in social interactions and communication skills, restricted behaviors as well as repetitive body motions such as rocking or hand flapping. Associated symptoms include hyperactivity, inattentiveness, delayed language, movement and cognitive skills, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal issues, unusual eating habits and epilepsy. These challenges of ASD starts early and last a lifetime, limiting social, educational, occupational and other important demands in every stage of life.
Autism spectrum disorder （ASD) has no single known cause and pathological mechanisms are still unclear. Both genetics and environment may play a role in affecting brain development or the way that brain cells communicate in ASD, though notedly gene mutations and anatomic variants account for only 10 to 20% of ASD cases (Abrahams and Geschwind, 2008). Researchers are currently exploring whether factors such as viral infections, medications or complications during pregnancy, or air pollutants play a role in triggering autism spectrum disorder.
Research shows that children with ASD have irregular neurotransmission, altered functional connectivity between different brain regions, abnormal brain wave activity and loss of homeostasis in the brain (imbalance of excitatory/ inhibitory). Emerging evidence highlights the cerebellum as exhibiting consistent neuropathological abnormalities in ASD. At AscenZion, we use Transcranial Pulsed Current Stimulation (“tPCS”), a type of non-invasive brain stimulation that delivers low intensity pulsed current to the cerebellum and frontal lobe via surface electrodes, to change the excitability of neurons in cortical and subcortical brain networks, leading to the modulation of neuronal circuits involved in pathophysiological processes of ASD. The principal working mechanisms of tPCS are rhythmic resonance and stochastic resonance which have been evidenced to enhance endogenous brain oscillation to increase functional connectivity and improve interhemispheric coherence, leading to better information integration and communication within brain networks.
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common age-related chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder in the world, estimated at 6.1 million patients in 2016 [Rocca, 2018]. The pathological hallmarks of PD are in the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the presence of intraneuronal proteinaceous cytoplasmic inclusions known as ‘Lewy bodies’.
PD patients commonly present motor and non-motor symptoms. In the early stages of the disease, patients usually occur with tremor, bradykinesia, postural instability and rigidity. During the later stages non-motor features such as autonomic dysfunction, falls, sleep abnormalities and cognitive disorder appears [Jankovic, 2008].
The progression of PD is characterised by motor deficits which become less responsive to current Standard of Care dopaminergic therapy and becomes a therapeutic challenge. A sign of this progression is the emergence of difficulties in gait and postural control [Benninger et al., 2010].
Freezing of gait (FOG), which is defined as a brief, episodic absence or marked reduction in forward progression of the feet despite the intention to walk [Nutt et al., 2011]. Freezing episodes are characterized by short shuffling steps, leg trembling or a complete motor block and usually lasts for briefly for 1-2 seconds, however longer episodes may also be experienced [Gilat et al., 2018]. FOG is significantly associated with disease progression, it increases the risk of falls which could have detrimental effects on health and also significantly affects the quality of life of individuals with PD.
In PD, there is emerging evidence that movement disorders are a result of dysfunction in multilevel, interconnected complex cortico-subcortical network rather than only being restricted to the basal ganglia. During treatment, tPCS is applied to the scalp to influence the perturbation of cortical neurons and rebalance excitatory and inhibitory homeostasis in the brain. tPCS may affect whole brain networks via modulating certain pathways in the brain known to be associated with PD, such as the cortico-subthalamic hyperdirect pathway. tPCS has been demonstrated to increase corticospinal excitability ( Jaberzadeh et al 2014) and this may improve gait and balance difficulties in PD [Alon et al., 2012]. Additionally, active research on the use of high frequency tPCS to non-invasively desynchronize endogenous beta waves that are positively related to the severity of PD symptoms is currently underway.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is may be add on to the spine and limbs through surface gel electrodes to stimulate sympathetic nerve activity and improve chronic constipation due to autonomic nervous system dysfunctions. TENS on the limbs may be effective for pain relief that is due to overly stiff muscles and may decrease limb spasticity for improved motor control in PD.
Sleep and the circadian rhythm of sleep depend on complex neural mechanism which are not entirely known. Alterations of cortical excitability and activity play an essential role in the onset of sleep and the transition of sleep stages through the release of multiple neuromodulators that regulate the arousal system. Disturbances to neural networks related to sleep may cause sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and sleep apnea which can affect every aspect of life including safety, relationships, thinking, mental health, weight, the development of diabetes and heart disease and may also affect school and work.
tPCS mechanism include the potential to modulate cortico-cortical connectivity, cortico-subcortical connectivity and spontaneous cortical activity and may influence sleep-related physiological and cognitive parameters, including neuronal synchronization and functional connectivity, to influence sleep-wake transitions and transitions between sleep stages.
Sleep and the circadian rhythm of sleep depend on complex neural mechanism which are not entirely known. Alterations of cortical excitability and activity play an essential role in the onset of sleep and the transition of sleep stages through the release of multiple neuromodulators that regulate the arousal system. Disturbances to neural networks related to sleep may cause sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and sleep apnea which can affect every aspect of life including safety, relationships,thinking, mental health, weight, the development of diabetes and heart disease and may also affect school and work.
tPCS mechanism include the potential to modulate cortico-cortical connectivity, cortico-subcortical connectivity and spontaneous cortical activity and may influence sleep-related physiological and cognitive parameters, including neuronal synchronization and functional connectivity, to influence sleep-wake transitions and transitions between sleep stages.
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AscenZion Neuromodulation Co Pte Ltd (“AscenZion”) is a Singapore based company that specializes in non-invasive neuromodulation medical devices used for the treatment of chronic neurological and pyschiatric diseases.
© 2023 AscenZion Neuromodulation All rights reserved.
