ReviewCureus2026
Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Rehabilitation on Arm and Hand Function in Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Combined transcranial direct current stimulation and mirror therapy for upper limb rehabilitation in patients with stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Stroke is a major cause of chronic disability, as motor deficits in the upper limbs remain a persistent issue for many survivors. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a potential non-invasive neuromodulation method to enhance neuroplasticity, but evidence regarding its effectiveness when paired with rehabilitation remains mixed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of adding tDCS to rehabilitation on upper limb motor recovery and activity. Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing active tDCS (anodal, cathodal, or bihemispheric) plus rehabilitation against sham tDCS plus rehabilitation. The primary endpoint was motor impairment of the upper extremity, evaluated via the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE). Secondary endpoints comprised functional activity, grip strength, and safety profiles. A random-effects model was employed for data synthesis, and risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool. The analysis included 45 RCTs with 1,568 participants. The combination of active tDCS and rehabilitation demonstrated a statistically significant enhancement in FMA-UE scores relative to sham (mean difference (MD) = 7.11, 95% CI: 5.76 to 8.46; p < 0.0001), surpassing the minimal clinically important difference. Subgroup analysis revealed that the effect was most pronounced in the subacute phase (MD = 11.72) compared to the chronic phase (MD = 4.89). Functional activity also showed significant improvement (standardized mean difference = 0.62). No significant differences were found between stimulation montages (anodal, cathodal, bihemispheric). Adverse events were similar between groups. tDCS appears to provide a clinically meaningful adjunctive benefit to rehabilitation for improving upper limb motor function in stroke patients, particularly in the subacute phase. The findings support the potential integration of tDCS into stroke rehabilitation protocols, although future research should focus on optimizing stimulation parameters and personalizing treatment.
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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.