Effects of cerebellar tACS on balance and gait in healthy subjects

• Cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation affects balance and gait outcomes in healthy adults.¹
• The work informs non-motor-cortex tACS and potential neuroprosthetic or rehabilitation applications; the healthy cohort limits immediate clinical translation.^{1 1}

Weekly enrichment (2026-07-20)

• The study was a double-blind, sham-controlled crossover in 19 right-handed healthy adults comparing cerebellar theta (5 Hz), gamma (50 Hz), and sham tACS.^{1 2}
• Participants performed three randomized motor tasks — postural standing, gait initiation, and gait cycle — with kinematics captured by a force platform and an 8-camera optoelectronic system.^{1 2}
• Theta-tACS significantly influenced postural standing and gait cycle but not gait initiation.^{1 2}
• During postural standing, theta-tACS reduced center-of-pressure Maximum Radius, Total Trace Length, Longitudinal Range, and Area.^{1 2}
• Eyes-closed COP mean-radius displacement was lower under theta-tACS (4.65 ± 0.74 mm) than gamma-tACS (5.58 ± 1.26 mm) or sham (5.99 ± 2.12 mm).³
• During the gait cycle, theta-tACS decreased stride width, indicating tighter gait.^{1 3}
• Cerebellar gamma-tACS produced no significant kinematic effects on any task.^{1 2}
• The authors hypothesize theta-tACS entrains theta-resonant cerebellar neurons within cortico-cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuits.^{1 3}
• Translational implication: noninvasive cerebellar theta-tACS is a candidate for ataxia and fall-risk rehabilitation, though the healthy cohort limits immediate clinical claims.^{1 3}

Footnotes

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388245725004535?dgcid=rss_sd_all ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40180842/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. https://orthoarchives.com/en/orthoscience/article/W4301595361 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴