Can non-invasive brain stimulation help stroke survivors?

Have you ever heard of techniques that stimulate the brain without invasive procedures? They are called NIBS and could be a breakthrough in stroke rehabilitation. Two methods, rTMS and tDCS, have been studied to improve movement and daily activities for stroke survivors. But how do they really work? A recent review of studies found that rTMS has moderate effects on general neurological functions, while tDCS has smaller and less certain effects. rTMS seems to help more with daily activities, while tDCS has more variable results. In short, science is still working to better understand how to harness these techniques, but the results are promising!

The review included 56 studies evaluating the effectiveness and safety of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques in stroke rehabilitation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) showed moderate effects on general neurological functions, with significant improvements in activities of daily living (ADL) and upper-limb motor function. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on the other hand, showed smaller and less certain effects, with variable results depending on the studies. The methodological quality of the studies was high or moderate in 85.7% of cases, but the certainty of the evidence was low or very low for 14/50 studies. Only one review on rTMS provided moderate-certainty evidence for ADL. These results suggest that rTMS may be more effective than tDCS for some aspects of stroke rehabilitation, but further research is needed to confirm these findings and better understand the underlying mechanisms.