Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of unilateral and bilateral electrical stimulation of the brain on balance in the elderly. Methods & Materials Thirty-six elderly in Ilam City, Iran, participated in the study. In the pretest, the static balance was taken, and then the participants were randomly divided into three groups: unilateral brain stimulation, bilateral brain stimulation, and sham. The intervention took in 3 sessions. In the unilateral stimulation group, the anode electrode was positioned at the O point, and the cathode was above the left ophthalmic cavity (FP1). In the bilateral stimulation group, the anode electrode was positioned at O-1, and the cathode was positioned at O-2. The intensity of stimulation was 2 mA, and the duration of treatment was 15 minutes per session. In the control group, the anode and cathode electrodes were placed on the O and FP1 points, respectively, but the excitation current was stopped after 30 seconds. After the last training session, the posttest was performed. The obtained data were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA. Results The Results showed no statistically significant difference between the three groups in the pretest phase (P<0.535). But at posttest, there was a difference between groups (P<0.002). Post-hoc test Results showed a difference between unilateral stimulation with the control group (P=0.001) and bilateral stimulation with the control group (P=0.005). But there was no significant difference between the unilateral stimulation group and the bilateral stimulation group (P=0.599). Conclusion Unilaterally and bilaterally, cerebellar stimulation can be improved in the elderly.