Feasibility of Simultaneous Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation During Gait Training in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Randomized Double-Blind Pilot Clinical Trial.

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a therapeutic tool for improving post-stroke gait disturbances, with ongoing research focusing on specific protocols for its application. We evaluated the feasibility of a rehabilitation protocol that combines tDCS with conventional gait training.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, single-center pilot clinical trial. Patients with unilateral hemiplegia due to ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to either the tDCS with gait training group or the sham stimulation group. The anodal tDCS electrode was placed on the tibialis anterior area of the precentral gyrus while gait training proceeded. Interventions were administered 3 times weekly for 4 weeks. Outcome assessments, using the 10-meter walk test, Timed Up and Go test, Berg Balance Scale, Functional Ambulatory Scale, Modified Barthel Index, and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 3 Level Version, were conducted before and after the intervention and again at the 8-week mark following its completion. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparisons between and within groups.

Results: Twenty-six patients were assessed for eligibility, and 20 were enrolled and randomized. No significant differences were observed between the tDCS with gait training group and the sham stimulation group in gait speed after the intervention. However, the tDCS with gait training group showed significant improvement in balance performance in both within-group and between-group comparisons. In the subgroup analysis of patients with elicited motor-evoked potentials, comfortable pace gait speed improved in the tDCS with gait training group. No serious adverse events occurred throughout the study.

Conclusions: Simultaneous anodal tDCS during gait training is a feasible rehabilitation protocol for chronic stroke patients with gait disturbances.

Clinical trial registration: URL: https://cris.nih.go.kr; Registration number: KCT0007601; Date of registration: 11 July 2022.