unihemispheric dual-site anodal tdcs for lower limb motor function in chronic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial

Background: a cerebrovascular accident results in behavioral deficits as a result of damage to the brain’s systems. the motor system is one of the most commonly affected nervous systems. lower limb motor function is important to a person’s functional independence. therefore, restoring lower limb motor function can be an important goal in rehabilitating patients after stroke. scientists have shown the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation, such as tdcs, in improving the performance of stroke patients. recently, researchers have proposed that unihemispheric dual-site anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (uhcds a-tdcs) targeting the primary motor cortex (m1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlpfc) could improve the effectiveness of a-tdcs in stroke rehabilitation.objectives: this study aimed to examine the effect of simultaneous stimulation of two points on the function of the lower limbs of stroke patients.materials & methods:  this was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. the study included 18 patients who had experienced their first chronic stroke. participants were assigned to either experimental group 1 or group 2, with both undergoing 5 consecutive sessions of a-tdcs. in experimental group 1, patients received active a-tdcs targeting both the m1 and dlpfc, while in experimental group 2, patients received a-tdcs to the m1 and sham stimulation to the dlpfc. lower limb motor function was assessed using the fugl-meyer and time up-and-go test. assessments were made before and after 5 sessions.results: the results indicate that following 5 sessions of a-tdcsm1-dlpfc, mobility and functional strength are better than a-tdcsm1 (p=0.04 and p=0.07).conclusion: dual site stimulation a-tdcsm1-dlpfc can further improve balance in patients with chronic stroke.