Dai Yanyuan, Qin Qingsong, Chen Baixin, Chen Le, Sun Qimeng, Vgontzas Alexandros N, Basta Maria, Li Yun
Department of Sleep Medicine, Shantou University Mental Health Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China.
Sleep Medicine Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China.
Front Neurosci. 2023 Jan 6;16:1047240. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1047240. eCollection 2022.
Transcranial electric stimulation (TES) is a neuromodulation approach that applies low-intensity electrical current to the brain and has been proposed as a treatment for insomnia. Electrostatic therapy is a kind of TES and people do not have a feeling of electrical stimuli when the voltage of static electricity is lower than 2,000 volts. However, no studies have examined the effects of electrostatic therapy on objective sleep and daytime symptoms in patients with insomnia.
Thirty chronic insomnia patients were included. All patients received a 6 week electrostatic therapy and three comprehensive assessments including two consecutive polysomnography (PSG) and daytime symptoms assessments, at pre-treatment, 3 week and 6 week of treatment. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to assess the severity of insomnia. Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Flinders Fatigue Scale (FFS) were used to assess objective and self-reported daytime sleepiness and fatigue, respectively. Attention network test (ANT) was used to assess attention levels.
Total ISI scores decreased significantly at 3 weeks ( < 0.001) and 6 weeks ( < 0.001) after initiation of treatment. Furthermore, objective total sleep time (TST, = 0.020) and sleep efficiency (SE, = 0.009) increased and wake time after sleep onset ( = 0.012) decreased significantly after 6 weeks electrostatic therapy. Regarding daytime symptoms, ESS and FFS scores decreased significantly at 3 weeks (ESS, = 0.047; FFS, = 0.017) and 6 weeks (ESS, = 0.008; FFS, = 0.003) after initiation of treatment. Moreover, executive control improved significantly from pre-treatment to 3 weeks ( = 0.006) and 6 weeks ( = 0.013) and altering network improved significantly at 6 weeks ( = 0.003) after initiation of treatment. Secondary analyses showed that TST and SE improved significantly after electrostatic therapy in insomnia patients who slept < 390 min (all -value < 0.05). However, no significant changes regarding TST and SE were observed in insomnia patients who slept ≥ 390 min.
Electrostatic therapy improves both nighttime sleep and daytime symptoms in patients with chronic insomnia. The effect on objective sleep appears to be stronger in patient with objective short sleep duration. Electrostatic therapy might be a therapeutic choice for insomnia patients with difficulty maintaining sleep and not responding to behavioral treatments.
[www.clinicaltrials.gov], identifier [ChiCTR2100051590].
经颅电刺激（TES）是一种神经调节方法，通过向大脑施加低强度电流来调节神经活动，已被提议用于治疗失眠。静电疗法是经颅电刺激的一种，当静电电压低于2000伏时，人们不会有电刺激的感觉。然而，尚无研究探讨静电疗法对失眠患者客观睡眠和日间症状的影响。
纳入30例慢性失眠患者。所有患者均接受为期6周的静电疗法，并在治疗前、治疗第3周和第6周进行三项综合评估，包括连续两次多导睡眠图（PSG）检查和日间症状评估。采用失眠严重程度指数（ISI）评估失眠的严重程度。采用多次睡眠潜伏期试验（MSLT）、爱泼华嗜睡量表（ESS）和弗林德斯疲劳量表（FFS）分别评估客观和自我报告的日间嗜睡和疲劳程度。采用注意力网络测试（ANT）评估注意力水平。
治疗开始后第3周（<0.001）和第6周（<0.001），ISI总分显著下降。此外，经过6周的静电疗法后，客观总睡眠时间（TST，=0.020）和睡眠效率（SE，=0.009）增加，睡眠开始后的觉醒时间（=0.012）显著减少。关于日间症状，治疗开始后第3周（ESS，=0.047；FFS，=0.017）和第6周（ESS，=0.008；FFS，=0.003），ESS和FFS评分显著下降。此外，从治疗前到第3周（=0.006）和第6周（=
