Novel non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to modify brain networks after stroke

Abstract

Improving motor function after stroke is an in an important area of research in neurorehabilitation. Clinical trials using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to improve rehabilitation outcome after stroke showed modest effect sizes or even lack of efficacy [1–3]. One important reason for this limited therapeutic success may be too simplistic “one hat fits it all” strategies, e.g. aiming at increasing excitability in the ipsilesional primary motor cortex [4] that disregard high interindividual variability in responses to NIBS protocols, even in healthy subjects [5]. Several strategies that have been recently developed to improve therapeutic effect size of NIBS during stroke neurorehabilitation will be detailed in this presentation.