Patient Information: tDCS Therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Background to the Disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. This leads to muscle weakness, paralysis, swallowing, and speech disorders, and is usually fatal after some years. A causal therapy is currently not available.
What is tDCS?
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, painless procedure in which a weak current is passed through targeted brain areas and/or the spinal cord via electrodes. The method can modulate the excitability of nerve cells and promote neuroplastic processes.
Study Data: tDCS in ALS
A double-blind, randomized study published in 2023 (Benussi et al.) investigated cortico-spinal tDCS in 31 ALS patients. Participants received:
- Anodal stimulation over both motor cortex areas (C3/C4)
- Cathodal stimulation over the cervical spine (C6)
- 2 treatment cycles of 2 weeks each (5x/week)
- Follow-up: 48 weeks
Results:
- Significant improvements in muscle strength (MRC score), quality of life (EQ-VAS), and caregiver burden (CBI)
- Normalization of cortical excitability (SICI/ICF measurements)
- Reduction in serum neurofilament light chains (a biomarker of axonal damage)
- Prolonged survival in patients with 2 tDCS cycles (hazard ratio 0.29)
The treatment showed no relevant side effects and was indistinguishable from a sham treatment for the patients. The study is linked here
After 48 weeks, the score in the treatment group (red) was still within the baseline range, indicating a significant slowdown in deterioration compared to the untreated group (blue). There are more graphs and scores in the study.
Clinical Experience – Case Study from the SOZO-Training 2024
At the neuromodulation seminar in Switzerland, a 38-year-old patient with bulbar ALS with a rapid progression was treated. He was already completely dependent on care, bedridden, and immobile for three months. After a tDCS session according to the SOZO protocol, the patient was able to stand up and walk independently for the first time. At the follow-up appointment (June 2025), he was still able to walk and was discharged from the nursing home.
Videos of a patient can be found in the following article, which I published on ganzemedizin.at.
Neuromodulation training in Switzerland – interesting results in severe cases like MS, Amyotrophic
After a tDCS session according to the SOZO protocol in September 2024, the patient was able to stand up and walk independently for the first time and doing prolonged self training he improved so much that he was discharged from the nursing home. At the follow-up examination (June 2025), he was still able to walk.
Here are two more ALS patient cases from the SOZO Brain Center Nicosia
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with oxygen requirement improves with neuromodulation
“Chris from London” from the above article (who has been undergoing tDCS therapy since 2022, has been released from his wheelchair, and is now walking and even driving again) also shows that impressive stabilization can be achieved in individual cases. Chris’s disease is likely a primary lateral sclerotic form (PLS) or a mixed form (ALS+PLS), which tends to progress more slowly because the success is so impressive.
We now have several ALS patients in Vöcklabruck and can confirm the study data.
June 2025 – German top athlete with bulbar ALS walks again
When I was in Nicosia for the TPS enrollment in June 2025, we met a patient from Germany who was wheelchair-bound with rapidly progressing bulbar ALS and could no longer use her hands.
When she was diagnosed with ALS after aWhen we were able to talk and walk again after TPS treatments, we all cried, and the whole team applauded. I will pixelate my video recording (anonymity), upload it, and link it here.
What can we realistically expect?
- No cure, but relatively certain a slowing of the progression
- Approximately 60% of patients respond, 40% show no change
- Early initiation of therapy appears to be more beneficial
- Good tolerability, of course, can be combined with riluzole or all other new modalities of conventional medicine; TPS, in particular, makes sense with stem cell therapy.
Sources:
- Benussi A et al. (2023): Cortico-spinal tDCS in ALS: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial followed by an open-label phase. Brain Stimulation 16(6):1666–76. DOI: 1016/j.brs.2023.11.008
- Clinical Case Report and Experience from the Neuromodulation Seminar (Fall 2024)
Implementation
The therapy can be performed in specialized SOZO Brain Centers with home devices under medical supervision.
Petros Kattou from the SOZO Brain Center in Nicosia uses the multi-channel tDCS system, which can also stimulate the spinal cord, and which was also used in the study.
Therapy suggestion for ALS patients
tDCS
- tDCS training on the HD-tDCS device by a SOZO team, then proceed with home-treatment using the doctors-device (that was also used for the above study)
- 3 x tDCS therapy sessions daily (for 20-30 minutes) 7 days a week
TPS – transcranial pulse stimulation
TPS therapy in a certified SOZO brain center – 6 sessions (3 x per week on three consecutive days), followed by 1 additional session per month –
As soon as the device is available here (July 1, 2025), you can do this with us – as present there is only SOZO Braincenters in Nicosia, Limassol, Pathos who also run this device.
As soon as I have written more about TPS, I will link these articles here. In the meantime, TPS information can be found in the following article:
if you are affected
Due to the urgency of this diagnosis, we have no waiting time for these patients. Please call the practice directly if you are interested.
There are now over 50 SOZO Fellows (doctors with multiple training courses and internships in Nicosia) and approximately 150 SOZO-trained doctors, so you should be able to find a doctor near you:
