Motor Excitability Study of High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) in Chronic Stroke

Motor Excitability Study of High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) in Chronic Stroke

High definition tDCS will be conducted to both stroke and healthy subjects on primary motor cortex area to explore the motor excitability changes before and after stimulation. In next stage, a randomized control trial with 20-session training will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of transient modulation of cortical excitability through multisite HD-tDCS with EMG driven robot hand training, a sham stimulation with EMG-driven robot hand training will be applied as control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Sufficient cognition to follow simple instructions, as well as understand the content and purpose of the experiment;
2. Have moderate to severe motor disability at the paretic upper limb (assessed by Fugl-Meter Assessment (FMA), and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT));
3. Hemiparesis resulting from a single unilateral lesion of the brain with onset at least 6 months before data collection

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Severe hand spasticity, open hand wound or hand deformity;
2. Visual field deficits;
3. Aphasia, neglect, and apraxia;
4. History of alcohol, drug abuse or epilepsy;
5. Bilateral infracts;
6. Uncontrolled medical problems;
7. Serious cognitive deficits [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 21];
8. Major depression
9. Metal implants inside body
10. MRI, TMS and tDCS contraindications