Effect of tDCS on Postural Control of Children With DCD

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a highly frequent neurodevelopmental disorder with negative impacts on children's motor repertoire, quality of life and general health. One of the main problems faced is the balance deficit, which although well characterized in this population, little is known about the etiological core of this impairment. The cerebellum appears to be a functionally impaired structure in DCD, but frontal motor areas are also involved. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive way of inducing local‐specific polarity‐dependent synaptic modulation. Cerebellar tDCS (CE‐tDCS) is even more recent, with still unclear results on its effects on postural balance, with only one study in children, which requires us to better understand the type of stimulation necessary to induce balance improvement in children with DCD. Thus, the investigators aimed to verify the effects of anodal tDCS over primary motor cortex (M1‐atDCS) and CE‐tDCS (anodic, cathodic and sham) on the balance of children with DCD, compared to children without DCD. METHODS: Fifteen children with DCD (total MABC‐2 and balance <15%, with DCDQ positive / TL positive) and 15 children without DCD (MABC‐2 total and balance ≥50% and DCDQ negative) will be assessed by platform stabilometry (PS) before and after receiving M1, cerebellar anodic, cerebellar cathodic, primary motor cortex anodic (M1) or sham tDCS (crossover). They will be evaluated under conditions without proprioceptive manipulation (direct on PS) with open and closed eyes, and with proprioceptive manipulation (on foam surface) with open and closed eyes.