Paola Antoniotti

I obtained my Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Science at the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Genova. Currently, I am a PhD-Executive candidate in Clinical Neuroscience at the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milano-Bicocca. My research project aimed at investigating if the combined treatment with Dual Task (motor and cognitive rehabilitation) and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) intends to improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients through, and to assess the treatment impact through the collection, analysis and comparison of clinical and biological data.
Since September 2011 I’ve been working as a Physiotherapist Coordinator (Research Area) at the Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences of the Casa di Cura Igea (CCI). In my professional practice I’ve carried out experimental investigations on motor disorders as outcomes of neurological diseases. In particular, I focused my interest on rehabilitation strategies for disorders resulting from acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases. About the last topic, I attended the Department of Neurological Research of the University of Leuven (Belgium), coordinated by Professor Alice Nieuwboern, where I participated in various research projects involving patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Over the years, in CCI, I’ve worked with colleagues with other different skills (neuropsychologist, bioengineers) both in clinical and in research activities. In the field of clinical research, I’ve conducted and collaborated in various studies, the conclusion of which has allowed the publish the result in scientific articles of international indexed journals (e.g. Clinical Rehabilitation, Gait and Posture).

PhD research project

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Dual task in Parkinson’s Disease -Tdcs&DT in PD

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which motor symptoms are initially predominant; however, as the disease progresses, cognitive deterioration may become evident. Current treatments for People with Parkinson Disease (PwPD) have started to propose Dual Task (DT) training programs, which combine motor and cognitive rehabilitation, with encouraging results in terms of walking speed, cadence and balance. Starting from this assumption, we propose to associate DT treatment with transcranial direct current electrical stimulation (tDCS), a low-cost, non-invasive brain stimulation method, which recent studies have suggested to be an effective clinical intervention to treat PwPD.

We will evaluate the clinical and biological effects of this new therapeutic approach through a quadruple-blind, non-pharmacological, Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), enrolling 30 patients at an early stage of the disease (Hoen-Year I-III). Participants will be randomized into 2 groups of 15 persons and will carry out activities in DT associated with real or sham tDCS (test group or control group, respectively). Each patient will carry out 12 rehabilitation sessions (2 / week) of 30 minutes. At baseline (T0), at the end of the 6-weeks treatment (T1), and after 12 weeks from treatment conclusion (T2), patients will be tested on their motor and cognitive profile and blood samples will be taken to quantify biomarkers associated with PD progression. The project intends to improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients through the combined treatment with DT and tDCS, and to assess the treatment impact through the collection, analysis and comparison of clinical and biological data.