A randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of electrical vestibular stimulation, compared to a sham control for the modulation of neurotransmitters in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: The existing treatments for PD were associated with side effects and does not offer complete cure. Hence there is a need of alternative therapy which can prevent or delay the onset of PD with less or no side effects.

Aim and objective: The overall objective of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of electrical vestibular nerve stimulation in the management of Parkinson’s disease.

Materials and methods: 60 cases with PD, including both males and females, were recruited in the study by convenient sampling after obtaining written and informed consent. They were randomly grouped with 30 participants in each group. Control group received sham stimulation and the intervention group received electrical vestibular nerve stimulation for 12 weeks. After recording the baseline biochemical parameters, post intervention assessment was performed after 6 weeks and 12 weeks of intervention and compared.

Results: Demographic variables were not statistically significant among the control and intervention groups. There was a significant increase in the dopamine and GABA levels followed by the intervention.

Conclusion: The present study results support the positive impact of non-invasive electrical vestibular nerve stimulation in modulating neurotransmitters in patients with Parkinson’s disease. A further detailed translational study is required in this area with a larger sample size to generalize the results.