Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on swallowing apraxia and cortical excitability in stroke patients

Swallowing apraxia is characterized by impaired volitional swallowing but relatively preserved reflexive swallowing. Few studies are available on the effectiveness of behavioral therapy and management of the condition.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on swallowing apraxia and cortical activation in stroke patients.

The study included three inpatients (age 48-70 years; 1 male, 2 females; duration of stroke, 35-55 d) with post-stroke swallowing apraxia and six age-matched healthy subjects (age 45-65 years; 3 males, 3 females). Treatments were divided into two phases: Phase A and Phase B. During Phase A, the inpatients received three weeks of sham tDCS and conventional treatments. During Phase B, these patients received three weeks of anodal tDCS over the bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex (S₁M₁) of swallowing and conventional treatments. Swallowing apraxia assessments were measured in three inpatients before Phase A, before Phase B, and after Phase B. The electroencephalography (EEG) nonlinear index of approximate entropy (ApEn) was calculated for three patients and six healthy subjects.

After tDCS, scores of swallowing apraxia assessments increased, and ApEn indices increased in both stimulated and non-stimulated areas.

Anodal tDCS might provide a useful means for recovering swallowing apraxia, and the recovery could be related to increased excitability of the swallowing cortex. Further investigations should explore the relationship between lesion size and/or lesion site and the prognosis of swallowing apraxia. Clinical trial registry: http://www.chictr.org Registration Number: ChiCTR-TRC-14004955.