Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation in combination with robotic therapy in upper limb impairments in people with stroke: a systematic review

BackgroundStroke is a devastating condition, which not only affects patients’ activity, but also is a primary reason for the psychosocial impact on them, their caregivers, and the healthcare system. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates cortical activity, encouraging neuro-modulat...

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Published in:The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 41 - 9
Main Authors: Rizvi, Asna, Parveen, Sarah, Bazigha, Farah, Noohu, Majumi M
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Mumbai Springer Nature B.V 01-12-2023
SpringerOpen
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Summary:BackgroundStroke is a devastating condition, which not only affects patients’ activity, but also is a primary reason for the psychosocial impact on them, their caregivers, and the healthcare system. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates cortical activity, encouraging neuro-modulation and motor recovery in stroke rehabilitation. Robotic therapy (RT) provides repetitive, high-intensity, interactive, task-specific intervention and can measure changes while providing feedback to people with stroke.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate and summarize the scientific literature systematically to investigate the combined effect of tDCS and RT in patients with stroke.MethodsFour databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, & PEDro) were searched for clinical trials investigating the effect of RT and tDCS in stroke patients with upper limb impairment. PEDro scale was used for the quality assessment of included studies.ResultsThe search yielded 208 articles. A total of 213 patients with stroke who had upper limb impairment were studied. In the majority of the trials, RT combined with tDCS lead to positive improvement in various measures of upper limb function and spasticity.ConclusionsRT along with tDCS is an effective mode of rehabilitation, although no additional effects of tDCS plus RT in comparison with RT alone were reported. Large, robust studies are needed, so that health care providers and researchers can make better decisions about merging tDCS and RT in stroke rehabilitation settings in the future.
ISSN:1110-1083
1687-8329
DOI:10.1186/s41983-023-00640-8