Transcranial direct current stimulation of the affected hemisphere does not accelerate recovery of acute stroke patients

Background and purpose: Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) is a potential tool to improve motor deficits in chronic stroke patients. Safety and efficacy of this procedure in acute stroke patients have not yet been addressed. Methods: We performed in our stroke unit a single-centre randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study to investigate safety and efficacy of anodal TDCS of the affected hemisphere in acute stroke patients. The second day from stroke onset, 50 acute stroke patients received either five-daily sessions of anodal (n = 25) at 2 mA for 20 min or sham TDCS (n = 25) to the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1). Motor deficit was assessed by the short form of the Fugl-Meyer motor scale (FM) and overall neurological deficit by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at onset, at 5 days after stroke and after 3 months. Results: No side effects were detected during either TDCS or sham. In both groups, there was a significant improvement in NIHSS and FM scores, which did not significantly differ when comparing TDCS and sham. Conclusions: Five-daily sessions of anodal TDCS to the ipsilesional M1 appear to be safe in acute stroke patients but do not improve clinical outcome.