Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of transcranial direct current stimulation
(tDCS) combined with repetitive, task-specific training (RTP) on upper-extremity
(UE) impairment in a chronic stroke survivor with moderate impairment. METHOD:
The participant was a 54-yr-old woman with chronic, moderate UE hemiparesis after
a single stroke that had occurred 10 yr before study enrollment. She participated
in 45-min RTP sessions 3 days/wk for 8 wk. tDCS was administered concurrent to
the first 20 min of each RTP session. RESULTS: Immediately after intervention,
the participant demonstrated marked score increases on the UE section of the
Fugl-Meyer Scale and the Motor Activity Log (on both the Amount of Use and the
Quality of Movement subscales). CONCLUSION: These data support the use of tDCS
combined with RTP to decrease impairment and increase UE use in chronic stroke
patients with moderate impairment. This finding is crucial, given the paucity of
efficacious treatment approaches in this impairment level.

Langue : ANGLAIS