Shocking the brain to regain motor function : a non-invasive therapy for stroke patients

Abstract

Invasive treatments and its associated risks are important factors of concern when the conditions are affecting the nervous system. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that stimulates brain areas through the scalp and has excitatory or inhibitory neuromodulatory effects. In the context of stroke patients, recovery is often impaired from the increased inhibition of the damaged area from the unaffected hemisphere. Fujimoto et al. uses dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation to address this interhemispheric inhibition and demonstrates that stroke patients were able to periodically restore sensory deficits.