Stroke is a leading cause of adult motor disability. Despite recent progress, recovery of motor function after stroke is usually incomplete. This double blind , Sham-controlled, crossover study was designed to test th...Stroke is a leading cause of adult motor disability. Despite recent progress, recovery of motor function after stroke is usually incomplete. This double blind , Sham-controlled, crossover study was designed to test the hypothesis that non -invasive stimulation of the motor cortex could improve motor function in the p aretic hand of patients with chronic stroke. Hand function was measured using th e Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT),a widely used, well validated test for functional motor assessment that reflects activities of daily living. JTT measu red in the paretic hand improved significantly with non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulat ion (tDCS), but not with Sham, an effect that outlasted the stimulation period, was present in every single patient tested and that correlated with an increment in motor cortical excitability within the affected hemisphe- re, expressed as increased recruitment curves(RC) and reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition. These results document a beneficial effect of non-inv asive cortical stimulation on a set of hand functions that mimic activities of d aily living in the paretic hand of patients with chronic stroke, and suggest tha t this interventional strategy in combination with customary rehabilitative trea tments may play an adjuvant role in neurorehabilitation.展开更多
文摘Stroke is a leading cause of adult motor disability. Despite recent progress, recovery of motor function after stroke is usually incomplete. This double blind , Sham-controlled, crossover study was designed to test the hypothesis that non -invasive stimulation of the motor cortex could improve motor function in the p aretic hand of patients with chronic stroke. Hand function was measured using th e Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT),a widely used, well validated test for functional motor assessment that reflects activities of daily living. JTT measu red in the paretic hand improved significantly with non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulat ion (tDCS), but not with Sham, an effect that outlasted the stimulation period, was present in every single patient tested and that correlated with an increment in motor cortical excitability within the affected hemisphe- re, expressed as increased recruitment curves(RC) and reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition. These results document a beneficial effect of non-inv asive cortical stimulation on a set of hand functions that mimic activities of d aily living in the paretic hand of patients with chronic stroke, and suggest tha t this interventional strategy in combination with customary rehabilitative trea tments may play an adjuvant role in neurorehabilitation.
