Raffaella Chieffo MD, Giancarlo Comi MD and Letizia Leocani MD, PhD
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Unfortunately, less than 40% of stroke survivors completely
recover, despite intensive acute care and rehabilitation training. Non invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques
have been recognized as a promising intervention to improve motor recovery after stroke. Repeated sessions of
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can, indeed,
induce changes in cortical excitability and long term plasticity. Several protocols of stimulation have been already
tested and proven efficient in modulating the lesioned as well as the unlesioned hemisphere after stroke. However,
not all patients can be considered as responder to NIBS. We provide an overview of the rationale, open questions and
future perspectives for NIBS after stroke.
