O-2-6-15. Immediate effects of anodal tDCS combined with patterned electrical stimulation on gait performance in patients with stroke

Abstract

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with patterned electrical stimulation (PES) modulates spinal reciprocal inhibition and improves the ankle movement in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (Yamaguchi et al., 2016). This study aimed to examine the immediate effects of anodal tDCS combined with PES on gait performance in patients with stroke. Twelve patients with subacute stroke participated in this double-masked, sham-controlled cross-over study. They randomly participated in the following sessions on separate days: (1) anodal tDCS + PES; (2) anodal tDCS + sham PES; (3) sham tDCS + PES. The gait speed and surface electromyography (EMG) of tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscles were measured before and after the intervention. As a result, the gait speed was not changed before and after the stimulation in all interventions. In anodal tDCS + PES condition, the EMG of the TA after the stimulation was significantly greater than that in the swing phase compared with other interventions. Anodal tDCS + PES produced significant improvement in the co-contraction ratio between TA and SOL after the stimulation, while other interventions produced no change. These findings suggest that anodal tDCS + PES could improve walking function in patients with stroke.