Affiliations: Department of Experimental Psychology and Department
of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (address where the
work was carried out) | Jcleo Neurociências Mackenzie University, Sao
Paulo, Brazil | Department of Clinical Neurophysiology,
Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany | Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA | Institute Gutmann for Neurorehabilitation, Barcelona,
Spain
Note: [] Corresponding author: Felipe Fregni, MD, PhD, Center for
Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330
Brookline Ave – KS 452, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Tel.: +1 617 667 5272; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Purpose: Recent evidence has suggested that a simple technique of
noninvasive brain stimulation – transcranial direct current stimulation
(tDCS) – is associated with a significant motor function improvement in stroke
patients. Methods: We tested the motor performance improvement in stroke
patients following 4 weekly sessions of sham, anodal- and cathodal tDCS
(experiment 1) and the effects of 5 consecutive daily sessions of cathodal tDCS
(experiment 2). A blinded rater evaluated motor function using the
Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test. Results: There was a significant main
effect of stimulation condition (p=0.009) in experiment 1. Furthermore there
was a significant motor function improvement after either cathodal tDCS of the
unaffected hemisphere (p=0.016) or anodal tDCS of the affected hemisphere
(p=0.046) when compared to sham tDCS. There was no cumulative effect
associated with weekly sessions of tDCS, however consecutive daily sessions of
tDCS (experiment 2) were associated with a significant effect on time (p<
0.0001) that lasted for 2 weeks after treatment. Conclusions: The
findings of our study support previous research showing that tDCS is
significantly associated with motor function improvement in stroke patients;
and support that consecutive daily sessions of tDCS might increase its
behavioral effects. Because the technique of tDCS is simple, safe and
non-expensive; our findings support further research on the use of this
technique for the rehabilitation of patients with stroke.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, transcranial direct current stimulation, brain DC polarization
