Effects of dual transcranial direct current stimulation on post-stroke unilateral visuospatial neglect

Abstract

Based on the interhemispheric inhibition model of unilateral visuospatial neglect (USN) after stroke, the effects of dual-mode transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the parietal cortices were assessed in a double-blind random-order cross-over experiment. Ten chronic right hemispheric stroke patients (4 men; mean age: 62.6 years) with USN were recruited. All participants underwent three randomly arranged tDCS sessions: (1) dual-mode, anodal tDCS over the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and cathodal tDCS over the left PPC; (2) single-mode, anodal tDCS over the right PPC; and (3) sham mode. Each session lasted 20min. Before and immediately after the stimulation, a line bisection test and star cancelation test were carried out. In the line bisection test, significant improvements were observed after both the dual- and the single-mode tDCS (p<0.05), but not after sham stimulation. Statistical analysis showed a significant interaction between time and tDCS mode, where the dual tDCS had a stronger effect than the single or sham stimulation modes (p<0.05). The star cancelation test did not show any significant change. These results suggest that dual tDCS over the bilateral PPC is an effective method for the treatment of USN in stroke patients.

Keywords: Stroke; Transcranial direct current stimulation; Unilateral visuospatial neglect.