High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) for Sensory Deficits in Complex Traumatic Brain Injury

The purpose of this research is to use high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to treat neurosensory postconcussive symptoms (PCS) associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in US Veterans and Warfighters. A randomized sham-controlled clinical trial will be performed. We will recruit 120 participants ages 18-59 for the study: 80 participants with mTBI to undergo the intervention, and 40 non-TBI healthy subjects to act as an imaging-only control group. The intervention is 10 days of anodal HD-tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, paired with vision therapy and cognitive training. Magnetic source imaging (MSI), neuropsychological assessment, and neurosensory evaluation, are obtained before and after the intervention, to assess changes in brain function, postconcussive symptom burden, and quality of life. During this reporting period, preliminary data has been generated demontrating improvements in neurosensory function, cognitive control, and brain activation patterns with the intervention.