Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)-Enhanced Stroke Recovery

Inclusion Criteria:

- ischemic stroke causing arm weakness within 5-15 days

- no other neurological or psychiatric disease, who are able to perform study tasks

Exclusion Criteria:

- patients younger than 18 or older than 80 years

- patients with more than one disabling stroke

- Patients with bilateral motor impairment

- Patients with poor motivational capacity, history of severe alcohol or drug abuse

- Patients with severe language disturbances, particularly of receptive nature

- Patients with serious cognitive deficits (defined as equivalent to a MMS score of 23
or less)

- Patients with severe uncontrolled medical problems (e.g., seizures, progressive
stroke syndromes, severe rheumatoid arthritis, active joint deformity of arthritic
origin, active cancer or renal disease, end-stage pulmonary or cardiovascular
disease, or a deteriorated condition due to age or others),

- Patients with unstable thyroid disease

- Patients with increased intracranial pressure

- Patients with unstable cardiac arrhythmia

- Patients with contraindication to TMS or tDCS stimulation (pacemaker, an implanted
medication pump, a metal plate in the skull, or metal objects inside the eye or
skull, patients who had a craniotomy, skin lesions at the site of stimulation)

- Patients who are not available for follow-up at 3 and 12 months

- Pregnancy

- Patients with contraindication to MRI will not participate in MRI