ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2022
A randomized sham-controlled trial on the effects of dual-tDCS "during" physical therapy on lower limb performance in sub-acute stroke and a comparison to the previous study using a "before" stimulation protocol.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04051671 (Effects of Dual-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation During Physical Therapy in Sub-acute Stroke), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers.
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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.
Effects of Dual-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation During Physical Therapy in Sub-acute Stroke
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preventing slowing down of alpha rhythms in stroke patients through modulation of cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Tele-rehabilitation using transcranial direct current stimulation combined with exercise in people with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2025Trial
- Effects of Different Montages of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Haemodynamic Responses and Motor Performance in Acute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2022Trial
- Evaluating Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation as an Adjunct to In-Patient Physiotherapy in Paediatric Acquired Brain Injury: A Randomized Feasibility Trial.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada · 2025Article
- Neurostimulation After Stroke.Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America · 2024Review
- Exploring the Prospects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) as a Therapeutic Intervention for Post-Stroke Motor Recovery: A Narrative Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Methylphenidate is more effective to improve inhibitory control and working memory compared to tDCS in children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a proof-of-concept study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDual-transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to rebalance the cortical excitability of both hemispheres following unilateral-stroke. Our previous study showed a positive effect from a single-session of dual-tDCS applied before physical therapy (PT) on lower limb performance. However, it is still undetermined if other timings of brain stimulation (i.e., during motor practice) induce better effects. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a single-session of dual-tDCS "during" PT on lower limb performance in sub-acute stroke and then compare the results with our previous data using a "before" stimulation paradigm.
methodFor the current "during" protocol, 19 participants were participated in a randomized sham-controlled crossover trial. Dual-tDCS over the M1 of both cortices (2 mA) was applied during the first 20 min of PT. The Timed Up and Go and Five-Times-Sit-To-Stand tests were assessed at pre- and post-intervention and 1-week follow-up. Then, data from the current study were compared with those of the previous "before" study performed in a different group of 19 subjects. Both studies were compared by the difference of mean changes from the baseline.
resultsDual-tDCS "during" PT and the sham group did not significantly improve lower limb performance. By comparing with the previous data, performance in the "before" group was significantly greater than in the "during" and sham groups at post-intervention, while at follow-up the "before" group had better improvement than sham, but not greater than the "during" group.
conclusionA single-session of dual-tDCS during PT induced no additional advantage on lower limb performance. The "before" group seemed to induce better acute effects; however, the benefits of the after-effects on motor learning for both stimulation protocols were probably not different. Trial registration Current randomized controlled trials was prospectively registered at the clinicaltrials.gov, registration number: NCT04051671. The date of registration was 09/08/2019.
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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.