Annals of physical and rehabilitation medicine
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Ann Phys Rehabil Med · Mar 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialFive-day course of paired associative stimulation fails to improve motor function in stroke patients.
Non-invasive brain stimulation has been studied as a therapeutic adjunct for upper-limb recovery in patients with stroke. One type of stimulation, paired associative stimulation (PAS), has effects on plasticity in both patients and healthy participants. Lasting several hours, these effects are reversible and topographically specific. ⋯ We failed to induce a lasting effect with PAS in the present study. PAS does not seem to be the main method for post-stroke brain stimulation. Perhaps recruitment of patients could be more selective, possibly targeting those with a wide altered ipsilesional corticomotor pathway.