Article

Stroke is a leading cause of adult motor disability. The number of stroke
survivors is increasing in industrialized countries, and despite available
treatments used in rehabilitation, the recovery of motor functions after stroke
is often incomplete. Studies in the 1980s showed that non-invasive brain
stimulation (mainly repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [rTMS] and
transcranial direct current stimulation [tDCS]) could modulate cortical
excitability and induce plasticity in healthy humans. These findings have opened
the way to the therapeutic use of the 2 techniques for stroke. The mechanisms
underlying the cortical effect of rTMS and tDCS differ. This paper summarizes
data obtained in healthy subjects and gives a general review of the use of rTMS
and tDCS in stroke patients with altered motor functions. From 1988 to 2012,
approximately 1400 publications were devoted to the study of non-invasive brain
stimulation in humans. However, for stroke patients with limb motor deficit, only
141 publications have been devoted to the effects of rTMS and 132 to those of
tDCS. The Cochrane review devoted to the effects of rTMS found 19 randomized
controlled trials involving 588 patients, and that devoted to tDCS found 18
randomized controlled trials involving 450 patients. Without doubt, rTMS and tDCS
contribute to physiological and pathophysiological studies in motor control.
However, despite the increasing number of studies devoted to the possible
therapeutic use of non-invasive brain stimulation to improve motor recovery after
stroke, further studies will be necessary to specify their use in rehabilitation.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS