Motor cortex modulation treats Chikungunya arthralgia
Chikungunya, Pain, Anodic Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).
The Chikungunya (CHIK) virus is out of control in Brazil, with 170,000 cases in the first half of 2016. More than 60% of patients present relapsing and remitting arthralgia with debilitating joint pain for years. There are no specific therapeutic agents to treat and rehabilitee infected persons with CHIK. Persistent pain can lead to incapacitation, requiring long-term pharmacological treatment. Advances in non-pharmacological treatments are necessary to promote pain relief without side effects and to restore functionality. Here, we demonstrate that the anodic transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary motor cortex can significantly reduce pain in the chronicle phase of CHIK. The tDCS could be an effective, inexpensive and attractive tool to areas lacking resources with a great number of patients with chronic CHIK persistent pain.