300 Section - Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for Improving Upper Limb Motor Function after Stroke: a Single-Center Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-controlled Trial

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

XD

Xue Ding, MS

Doctor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Ruijin Rehabilitation Hospital, Shanghai, China
shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

YL

Yang Liu, MS

Physician
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
YZ

Yu ZHOU, PhD

Postdoctoral researcher
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
SZ

Shoukun Zhao, n/a

Docter
Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
CN

Chuanxin Niu, PhD

Associate researcher
Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

QX

Qing XIE, MD

Chief Physician
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
JW

Jixian WANG, MD

Associate Chief Physician
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Objectives :

To investigate the effects and neural mechanisms of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on the recovery of motor function after stroke.

Design:

55 patients with first-time stroke were randomly assigned to a tACS group (n = 28) and a sham group (n = 27). The stimulation parameters were 77.5 Hz, 15 mA, 40 minutes for 10 sessions. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention, including Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Lower Extremity (FMA-LE), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), grip strength, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the modified Barthel Index (mBI). Cortical excitability was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The primary outcome was the change in FMA-UE.

Results:

After the intervention, improvements in FMA-UE, FMA-LE, PSQI, and MoCA in the tACS group were significantly greater than those in the sham group. The total PSQI score in the tACS group was significantly lower than sham group. Additionally, among hemiplegic patients with sleep disorders in the tACS group (n = 16), significant correlations were found between improvements in FMA-UE and PSQI. Following the intervention, cortical excitability in the tACS group did not differ significantly from baseline or the sham group.

Conclusion:

Compared to the sham group, tACS treatment significantly enhances motor function, sleep quality, and cognitive function in hemiplegic patients after stroke. For individuals with sleep disorders, improvements in sleep quality were positively correlated with gains in motor function following tACS. tACS is a promising approach for post-stroke motor rehabilitation.