Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2025
The effects of combining anodal transcranial direct current stimulation with robot-assisted gait training on lower limb motor function and the motor cortex regulation of stroke patients.
Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Robot-Assisted Therapy for Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke: Umbrella Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- The recovery of lower limb function in stroke patients: which sequence of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with lower limb rehabilitation robot is most effective-A randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Comparative efficacy and mechanistic insights of non-invasive neuromodulation and motor rehabilitation on functional reorganization of the supplementary motor area in subacute stroke: a narrative review.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Review
- Application of musculoskeletal ultrasound in quantitative assessment and rehabilitation of lower leg muscles in stroke patients.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) for stroke patients remain unclear.
methodsThe goal of this study is to examine whether anodal tDCS can augment the beneficial effects of RAGT on motor function of the lower limbs in stroke survivors. Furthermore, the study aims to explore the brain motor function network underlying regulation mechanism of this integrated therapeutic approach.The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the anode tDCS + RAGT group (n = 22) and the RAGT group (n = 21). In the experimental group, patients underwent a 20-minute session of anodal tDCS followed by a 20-minute RAGT session. Conversely, the control group patients only received 20 min of RAGT. These sessions were conducted 5 days a week for a duration of 4 weeks. Hemoglobin alterations in the primary motor cortex (M1) and pre-motor cortex/supplementary motor cortex area (PMC/SMA) of patients at rest were measured using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Additionally, the Fugl-Meyer Lower Extremity Assessment (FMA-LE) was utilized to evaluate the functionality of the lower extremities.
resultsA total of 38 stroke patients successfully completed the study. Significant improvements were observed in the FMA-LE scores of both groups following treatment. Notably, the anode tDCS + RAGT group demonstrated a remarkable enhancement in FMA-LE compared to the control group. Furthermore, the combination of anodal tDCS + RAGT strengthened the functional connectivity between LM1-RPMC/SMA.
conclusionsThe combination of anodal tDCS and RAGT can enhance lower limb motor function in stroke patients, while also modulating the connectivity within the motor network. Additionally, the elevation of functional connectivity between the bilateral cerebral hemispheres, quantifiable through fNIRS, could potentially serve as a valuable biomarker in stroke patients.
trial registrationThis study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (no. ChiCTR2400088222). This article has been registered on August 13th, 2024, and it was registered retrospectively.
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