Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Child Care Health Dev. 2024 Sep;50(5):e13318. doi: 10.1111/cch.13318.
In recent years, the exploration of innovative interventions for addressing problems of children and adolescents with specific learning disabilities (SLD) has garnered significant attention within the realm of neurocognitive research. Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing cognitive skills in children, offering a non-invasive and safe method that may particularly benefit those with learning difficulties. We aimed to appraise the extent and the quality of studies about impact of TES on cognitive skills including academic skills in children and adolescents with SLD.
A literature search was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles published between January 2000 and January 2024 were searched in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The study eligibility criteria were previously established according to the PICO model. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale and Cochrane Collaboration tool (ROB2) were used to assess the methodological quality and the risk of bias of the included studies, respectively.
The initial search yielded 1571 studies among which 30 studies were systematically reviewed. The total number of participants was 224 individuals (intervention: 114; control: 110). Findings showed significant improvements in reading skills such as text reading, high-frequency word reading speed and efficiency and mathematical skills. Conversely, other cognitive skills such as working memory were not improved in people with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
TES interventions can positively affect cognitive skills in children and adolescents with SLD; However, due to the small number of studies, medium methodological quality and high risk of bias, caution should be taken when interpreting the results.
近年来，神经认知研究领域对探索创新性干预措施以解决特定学习障碍（Specific Learning Disabilities，SLD）儿童和青少年问题给予了高度关注。经颅电刺激（Transcranial Electrical Stimulation，TES）作为一种增强儿童认知技能的有前途的工具，已经出现，它是一种非侵入性和安全的方法，可能特别有益于那些有学习困难的人。我们旨在评估关于 TES 对认知技能（包括 SLD 儿童和青少年的学业技能）影响的研究的数量和质量。
根据系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses，PRISMA）指南进行文献检索。在 PubMed、Embase、Scopus、Web of Science 和 Google Scholar 中搜索 2000 年 1 月至 2024 年 1 月期间发表的文章。根据 PICO 模型预先确定了研究的纳入标准。使用物理治疗证据数据库（Physiotherapy Evidence Database，PEDro）量表和 Cochrane 协作工具（ROB2）分别评估纳入研究的方法学质量和偏倚风险。
最初的搜索产生了 1571 项研究，其中 30 项进行了系统评价。总共有 224 名参与者（干预组：114 名；对照组：110 名）。研究结果表明，阅读技能（如文本阅读、高频词阅读速度和效率以及数学技能）有显著提高。相反，阅读障碍和计算障碍患者的其他认知技能（如工作记忆）并没有得到改善。
TES 干预措施可以对 SLD 儿童和青少年的认知技能产生积极影响；然而，由于研究数量较少、方法学质量中等以及偏倚风险较高，在解释结果时应谨慎。
