Table 1.
Subject characteristics
| HC (N = 39) | Sham group (N = 19) | tDCS group (N = 20) | Sham vs. tDCS (p value) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68.0 (± 8.2) | 63.5 (± 8.5) | 62.9 (± 8.3) | 0.80 |
| Gender (M/F) | 18/21 | 14/5 | 17/3 | 0.45 |
| Edinburgh handedness Inventory (%) | 100 (95.0, 100) | 100 (90.0, 100) | 100 (88.3, 100) | 0.51 |
| Education (years) | 15.0 (12.0, 17.0) | 15.0 (14.0, 15.0) | 16.0 (14.0, 16.8) | 0.17 |
| MoCA (0–30) | 27.0 (25.5, 28.0) | 28.0 (25.0, 29.0) | 28.0 (25.3, 29.0) | 0.95 |
| HADS-Anxiety (0–21) | 3.5 (± 2.7) | 5.6 (± 4.1) | 6.3 (± 3.4) | 0.55 |
| HADS-Depression (0–21) | 2.4 (± 2.3) | 5.6 (± 3.4) | 5.7 (± 3.4) | 0.99 |
| DEXTQ-24 (24–96) | 24.0 (24.0, 24.0) | 35.0 (30.0, 48.0) | 32.0 (25.5, 37.8) | 0.08 |
| Disease duration (years) | – | 6.0 (4.0, 9.0) | 3.5 (2.0, 8.0) | 0.03* |
| Disease dominance (R/L) | – | 11/8 | 15/5 | 0.32 |
| MDS-UPDRS III (0–132) | – | 29.1 (± 12.1) | 23.4 (± 12.1) | 0.15 |
| H&Y (0–5) | – | 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) | 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) | 0.48 |
| LEDD (mg/24 h) | – | 748.8 (± 381.8) | 588.4 (± 379.0) | 0.20 |
Results are presented as the mean (± standard deviation) for normally distributed variables and as the median (1st quartile, 3rd quartile) for non-normally distributed variables. *atDCS and sham group significantly different at p < 0.05
DEXTQ Dexterity Questionnaire, H&Y stage Hoehn and Yahr stage, HADS Hospital anxiety and depression questionnaire, HC healthy control subjects, LEDD Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose, MDS-UPDRS Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale, MoCA Montreal Cognitive Assessment