Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation of function in patients with stroke

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS. on the upper limb of function of patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. [Subjects] Twenty subjects were randomly allocated to either the upper tDCS group or the functional training group, with 10 subjects in each group. [Methods] The two groups received functional training for thirty minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. The tDCS group additionally received tDCS for 20 minutes. The outcome was assessed by the Box and Block test (BBT., grip strength, and the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA. [Results] There were significant improvements between pre- and post- intervention in both groups, in the BBT, grip strength, and the upper limb and lower lims subitems of the FMA. The tDCS group showed significantly greater improvements than the control group in the BBT, and upper limb and lower limb sub-items of the FMA. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that tDCS may be more beneficial than functional training for improving the upper and lower limb functions of chronic stroke patients. © 2014 The Society of Physical Therapy Science. Published by IPEC Inc.