SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neurodegeneration
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Non-Motor Functions in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chongqing Hospital of Jiangsu Province Hospital, Chongqing, China
- 2The Affiliated Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 3Bolin Central Health Center, Jiangjin, Chongqing, Chongqing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that poses a significant mental and physical burden on patients, markedly diminishing their quality of life. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive functions, mood state, sleep function, and overal quality of life in individuals with PD. Relevant literature was sourced from multiple databases, ultimately including 22 studies with a total of 1324 individuals. Data analysis was conducted using meta-analysis software. The findings indicated that tDCS significantly enhanced cognitive function, alleviated anxiety and depression, increased sleep duration, improved sleep efficiency, reduced arousal index, and ameliorated daytime sleepiness, while also enhancing activities of daily living. However, discrepancies were noted across various assessment scales, including the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale, delayed recall metrics, sleep scales, and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire. Additionally, individuals with PD displayed good tolerance to tDCS. Overall, tDCS shows promise in improving non-motor symptoms and enhancing quality of life for individuals with PD. Nonetheless, large-scale trials are necessary to confirm these results further.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, tDCS, Cognition, Non-motor symptom, Meta-analysis
Received: 26 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Ye, Ye and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qiyu Li
Mi Huang
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.