Ahmad Alipour; Roghayeh Mohammadi
Abstract
Objective: Painful diabetic neuropathy is a major complication of chronic diabetes with a significant negative impacton the quality of sleep and quality of life in diabetic patients. This study was conducted to determine the single andcombined effect of the primary motor cortex (M1) and left Dorsolateral ...
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Objective: Painful diabetic neuropathy is a major complication of chronic diabetes with a significant negative impacton the quality of sleep and quality of life in diabetic patients. This study was conducted to determine the single andcombined effect of the primary motor cortex (M1) and left Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L- DLPFC/ F3) anodictranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving sleep quality and quality of life in type 2 diabetes patientswith neuropathic pain.Method: The current study was a four-group double-blind randomized clinical trial. The statistical population consistedof all patients with type 2 diabetes aged 45 to 65 years, who were members of the Bonab Diabetes Association in2022 and identified as having neuropathic pain by specialists. The research sample was 48 people selected throughthe purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned into three experimental groups and one sham control group.Patients in four groups received their respective interventions for 12 sessions, three times a week. The data collectionwas done using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the 36-Item Short Form Quality of Life questionnaire(SF-36).Results: According to the findings, only the stimulation of M1 and F3 areas was effective in improving the sleepquality of diabetic patients. In terms of increasing quality of life, the effect of combined treatment (stimulation ofboth M1 and F3 areas) was significantly higher than the F3 area stimulation and sham stimulation groups. Also, theobserved effect remained stable until the 3-month follow-up stage.Conclusion: According to the results of this research, neuropsychological rehabilitation through electrical stimulationof the M1 and F3 areas of the brain was supported to improve the sleep quality and the quality of life of diabeticneuropathy patients.