Neuromodulation techniques in poststroke motor impairment recovery: Efficacy, challenges, and future directions

Abstract

Cerebrovascular accidents, also known as strokes, represent a major global public health challenge and contribute to substantial mortality, disability, and socioeconomic burden. Multidisciplinary approaches for poststroke therapies are crucial for recovering lost functions and adapting to new limitations. This review discusses the potential of neuromodulation techniques, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation, spinal cord stimulation (SCS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS), as innovative strategies for facilitating poststroke recovery. Neuromodulation is an emerging adjunct to conventional therapies that target neural plasticity to restore lost function and compensate for damaged brain areas. The techniques discussed in this review have different efficacies in enhancing neural plasticity, optimizing motor recovery, and mitigating poststroke impairments. Specifically, rTMS has shown significant promise in enhancing motor function, whereas SCS has shown potential in improving limb movement and reducing disability. Similarly, VNS, typically used to treat epilepsy, has shown promise in enhancing poststroke motor recovery, while DBS may be used to improve poststroke motor recovery and symptom mitigation. Further studies with standardized protocols are warranted to elucidate the efficacy of these methods and integrate them into mainstream clinical practice to optimize poststroke care.