Early transcranial direct current stimulation with modified constraint-induced movement therapy for motor and functional upper limb recovery in hospitalized patients with stroke: A randomized, multicentre, double-blind, clinical trial.

Background: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are used to reduce interhemispheric imbalance after stroke, which is why the combination of these therapies has been used for neurological recovery, but not in the acute phase.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of combining active or sham bihemispheric tDCS with modified CIMT (mCIMT) for the recovery of the Upper Limb (UL) in hospitalized patients with acute and subacute stroke.

Methods: This randomized controlled, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group clinical trial was executed between September 2018 to March 2021 recruited 70 patients.