Stroke rehabilitation using noninvasive cortical stimulation: motor deficit
Samar S Ayache1, Wassim H Farhat, Hela G Zouari
1Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Faculté de Médecine, EA 4391, Créteil, France.
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|September 26, 2012
Summary
Noninvasive cortical stimulation (NICS) shows short-term effectiveness in improving motor recovery for stroke patients. Further research is needed to determine the long-term benefits of NICS for daily stroke rehabilitation management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Stroke frequently results in motor deficits, impacting upper and lower limbs.
- Cortical excitability changes post-stroke, offering potential targets for intervention.
- Noninvasive cortical stimulation (NICS) is explored to enhance motor recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the rationale and mechanisms of NICS for motor stroke rehabilitation.
- To outline the application of NICS in acute, postacute, and chronic stroke phases.
- To evaluate the clinical effects of NICS on motor recovery in stroke patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of open and placebo-controlled trials on NICS modalities.
- Investigation of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
- Application of NICS to primary motor cortex for modulating cortical excitability.
Main Results:
- NICS techniques (rTMS, tDCS) are safe and effective in the short term for motor recovery.
- Strategies include increasing excitability in the affected hemisphere or decreasing it in the unaffected hemisphere.
- NICS aims to rebalance interhemispheric inhibition disrupted by stroke.
Conclusions:
- NICS is a safe and effective short-term intervention for post-stroke motor deficits.
- The long-term efficacy of NICS requires further investigation before routine clinical adoption.
- NICS holds promise for improving motor function in stroke survivors when combined with neurorehabilitation.
