Trial reportNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2021
Does anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation of the damaged primary motor cortex affects wrist flexor muscle spasticity and also activity of the wrist flexor and extensor muscles in patients with stroke?: a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Trial report in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation in reducing upper limb spasticity in patients after stroke: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Non-invasive brain stimulation for improving gait, balance, and lower limbs motor function in stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of local vibration applied to the forearm extensor muscles on hand function and muscle activation in stroke patients: a randomized controlled study.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2023Trial
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with Peripheral Electrical Stimulation on Upper Limb Function Recovery in Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Online modulation of neural drive to lower motor neurons with high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS).Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Article
- Combined Effect of tDCS and GRASP for Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Stroke: A Clinical and Accelerometric Pilot Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Stretching exercises in managing spasticity: effectiveness, risks, and adjunct therapies.European journal of translational myology · 2024Article
- Article
- Exploring the Prospects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) as a Therapeutic Intervention for Post-Stroke Motor Recovery: A Narrative Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Research progress in extracorporeal shock wave therapy for upper limb spasticity after stroke.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Review
- Effects of acupoints-based TENS combined with tDCS on spasticity and motor function in ischemic stroke with spastic hemiplegia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation on Post-Stroke Spasticity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- Neuromodulation approaches and applications in the management of post-stroke pain: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Spasticity is a common symptom in stroke survivors. This study is double-blinded, sham-controlled randomized, clinical trial with three parallel arms. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over the damaged primary motor cortex (M1) on spasticity of the wrist flexor and also the activity of wrist flexor and extensor muscles in sub-acute stroke patients. This study was performed on 32 stroke patients. The patients are assigned to three groups (intervention, sham, and control). All participants in the first two groups received 20-min concurrent M1 a-tDCS or sham tDCS and functional electrical stimulation (FES) for 10 sessions (5 sessions per week), while participants in control group were given only 20-min FES for 10 sessions. Modified Ashworth scale of wrist flexors and also electromyography (EMG) activity of flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) were recorded before, immediately, and 1 month after the interventions. A significant reduction was shown in the MAS and EMG activity of FCR muscle at passive rest position of the wrist, immediately and 1 month after the intervention in M1 a-tDCS compared to sham and control groups (p < 0.001). Also, the EMG activity of FCR and ECR muscles during active wrist flexion and extension increased immediately and 1 month after intervention in M1 a-tDCS compared to the other groups, respectively (p < 0.001). M1 a-tDCS can significantly decrease the spasticity of wrist flexor muscle and also increase the wrist flexor and extensor muscles activity in stroke patients during active flexion and extension.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.