Dual Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Poststroke Dysphagia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Poststroke dysphagia is associated with considerable morbidity and has high health care cost implications. Objective. To evaluate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the lesioned hemisphere and cathodal tDCS to the contralateral one during the early stage of rehabilitation can improve poststroke dysphagia. Methods. A total of 40 patients referred to our neurorehabilitation department were randomized to receive anodal tDCS over the damaged hemisphere plus cathodal stimulation over the contralateral one versus sham stimulation during swallowing maneuvers over the course of 10 sessions of treatment. Swallowing function was evaluated before and after stimulation using the Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS). Results. The percentage of patients who reached various thresholds of improvement was higher in the tDCS group than in the sham group, but the differences were not significant (eg, DOSS score 20% increase from baseline: 55% in the tDCS group vs 40% in the sham group; P = .53). Among all variables recorded at baseline, only a subgroup of patients without nasogastric tube showed a significantly higher improvement with tDCS treatment versus sham (DOSS score 10% and 20% from baseline: 64.29% vs 0%, P = .01). Conclusions. In patients with poststroke dysphagia, treatment with dual tDCS in the early phase of rehabilitation does not significantly increase the probability of recovery compared with sham stimulation.