ESOC 2021 | Transcranial direct current stimulation for enhanced recovery after stroke

Christian Gerloff, MD, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, discusses the rationale behind the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) to the primary motor cortex to enhance upper extremity recovery after stroke. TDCS has been shown to enhance cortical excitability through modulation of neuronal resting membrane potential. It is thought that if neurons are more excitable, they will be more amenable to plastic adaptation, a mechanism critical for recovery after stroke. Thus, the safety and efficacy of anodal TDCS at 1mA was investigated in the prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled NETS trial (NCT00909714), which was presented by Prof. Gerloff at the ESOC 2021 virtual meeting. This interview took place at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC), 2021.