Balance is an important component of the functional capacity of the elderly and deficits in this ability can significantly affect their quality of life and independence. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that can increase the effect of exercise protocols on balance improvement in the elderly, by modulating the excitability of the stimulated areas, generating a plastic potential. Several protocols using tDCS and aiming at improving balance in the elderly have been tested in previous studies, with promising results. However, no study has investigated the impact of the use of cerebellum-spinal tDCS on the outcomes related to postural control, balance, and autonomy in healthy elderly.

To investigate the effect of a single session of cerebellum-spinal tDCS on measures of postural control in older adults at increased risk of falls.

This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving individuals aged 60 to 85 years with increased risk of falling. Participants will be interviewed to research inclusion and exclusion criteria. Those eligible who agree to participate will be randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. First, participants will be assessed with the following instruments: Functional Reach Test on Force Platform; Four Stage Balance Test; and Timed Up and Go. Immediately thereafter, they will receive a single session of cerebellum-spinal tDCS lasting 20 min and 2mA intensity. The anodic electrode will be fixed over the cerebellum and the cathodic electrode will be over the thoracic region (approximately T8). Immediately after the removal of the electrodes, the subjects will be reassessed with the same instruments. 48 h after the cerebellum-spinal tDCS session the participants will undergo a third evaluation with the same tests. The distribution profile of the data will be checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and according to the result, the comparison between the intervention and control groups, and the association between variables will be analyzed with the relevant statistical tests.

It is expected that a single session of cerebellum-spinal tDCS will be able to promote changes in postural control, leading to an improvement in the performance of tests related to balance and autonomy in the sample of elderly at risk of falling.

The study is under development. The project will be defended this semester, and the project will be sent to the ethics committee of the institution. Following its approval, the volunteer recruitment phase will begin.

This study will aid in the understanding of the effects of using cerebellum-spinal tDCS on balance in older adults at increased risk of falls may increase the range of options of stimulation sites available for intervention using tDCS in this population.