Effects on decreasing upper-limb poststroke muscle tone using transcranial direct current stimulation: A randomized sham-controlled study

I hate my bicep and lat spasticity.
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NARIC Accession Number: J65451.  What's this?
ISSN: 0003-9993.
Author(s): Wu, Dongyu; Qian, Long; Zorowitz, Richard D.; Zhang, Lei; Qu, Yaping; Yuan, Ying.
Publication Year: 2013.
Number of Pages: 8.
Abstract: Study assessed the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on decreasing upper-limb (UL) muscle tone after stroke. Ninety inpatients with poststroke UL spasticity were randomized into the tDCS group or the control group. The tDCS group received tDCS to the primary sensorimotor cortex of the affected side with cathodal stimulation, 20 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks and conventional physical therapy. The control group received sham stimulation (same area as the tDCS group) and conventional physical therapy. Outcome measures included the Modified Ashworth scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment of motor recovery, and Barthel Index. All outcomes were measured at admission, at the end of the 4-week treatment, and at a 4-week follow-up. A clinically important difference (CID) was defined as a reduction of 1 or more in the MAS score. Compared with the sham tDCS group, UL muscle tone was significantly decreased and UL motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) assessment significantly improved in the active tDCS group after treatment and at follow-up. For the active tDCS group, MAS scores of elbow and wrist significantly decreased after tDCS and kept decreasing at follow-up. For the sham tDCS group, MAS scores almost kept unchanged after tDCS and increased significantly at follow-up. UL muscle tone after stroke can be decreased using cathodal tDCS. Combined with conventional physical therapy, tDCS appears to improve motor function and ADL. Cathodal tDCS over ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex may inhibit primary sensorimotor cortex hyperactivation, resulting in significant reductions in muscle tone.
Descriptor Terms: BRAIN, ELECTRICAL STIMULATION, LIMBS, MUSCLES, PHYSICAL THERAPY, SPASTICITY, STROKE.

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