• Yuko Kasashima-Shindo, Toshiyuki Fujiwara, Junichi Ushiba, Yayoi Matsushika, Daiki Kamatani, Misa Oto, Takashi Ono, Atsuko Nishimoto, Keiichiro Shindo, Michiyuki Kawakami, Tetsuya Tsuji, and Meigen Liu.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 160-8582 Tokyo, Japan.
• J Rehabil Med. 2015 Apr 1; 47 (4): 318-24.

ObjectiveBrain-computer interface technology has been applied to stroke patients to improve their motor function. Event-related desynchronization during motor imagery, which is used as a brain-computer interface trigger, is sometimes difficult to detect in stroke patients. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is known to increase event-related desynchronization. This study investigated the adjunctive effect of anodal tDCS for brain-computer interface training in patients with severe hemiparesis.SubjectsEighteen patients with chronic stroke.DesignA non-randomized controlled study.MethodsSubjects were divided between a brain-computer interface group and a tDCS- brain-computer interface group and participated in a 10-day brain-computer interface training. Event-related desynchronization was detected in the affected hemisphere during motor imagery of the affected fingers. The tDCS-brain-computer interface group received anodal tDCS before brain-computer interface training. Event-related desynchronization was evaluated before and after the intervention. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper extremity motor score (FM-U) was assessed before, immediately after, and 3 months after, the intervention.ResultsEvent-related desynchronization was significantly increased in the tDCS- brain-computer interface group. The FM-U was significantly increased in both groups. The FM-U improvement was maintained at 3 months in the tDCS-brain-computer interface group.ConclusionAnodal tDCS can be a conditioning tool for brain-computer interface training in patients with severe hemiparetic stroke.

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