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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with Neurofunctional Motor Training in Autistic Children: A
Marcela Oliveira Araujo1,2, Giselle de Oliveira Araujo1,2, Sara Viana de Abreu Silva1,2
1Human Movement and Rehabilitation, Post Graduate Program, Evangelic University of Goias, Anápolis, Brazil.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|May 31, 2026
Summary
Neurofunctional motor training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) did not improve motor skills in autistic children. However, active tDCS over the primary motor cortex increased motor evoked potential amplitude.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often associated with motor skill deficits.
- Interventions targeting motor function in autistic children are crucial for improving daily living.
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is being explored as a potential neuromodulatory tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of combining neurofunctional motor training with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor skills in autistic children.
- To compare the effects of tDCS over the primary motor cortex versus the cerebellum.
- To assess the impact on gross and fine motor skills, mobility, functional balance, and neurophysiological measures.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind clinical trial involving 30 autistic children aged five to seven.
- Ten 20-minute sessions of neurofunctional motor training (treadmill, task-oriented circuit) combined with either active or sham tDCS (1 mA) over the primary motor cortex or cerebellum.
- Assessments of motor skills, mobility, balance, and motor evoked potential conducted pre-intervention and at one, four, and eight weeks post-intervention.
Main Results:
- No significant improvements were observed in gross and fine motor skills, mobility, or functional balance between the groups.
- The amplitude of motor evoked potential significantly increased in the group receiving active tDCS over the primary motor cortex compared to other groups.
- The combination therapy did not yield significant benefits for the primary motor outcomes in autistic children.
Conclusions:
- Ten sessions of anodal tDCS over the primary motor cortex or cerebellum during neurofunctional motor training were ineffective for improving gross and fine motor skills in autistic children.
- While tDCS over the primary motor cortex showed potential neurophysiological effects, it did not translate to functional motor improvements.
- Further research is needed to explore optimal parameters and alternative neuromodulatory approaches for motor deficits in ASD.
