Improving Measurement and Treatment of Post-stroke Neglect

It is very common for stroke survivors to have difficulty attending to one side of their body or space (neglect). Stroke survivors with neglect not only demonstrate impairments in attention but they also experience motor impairment. These individuals also have an imbalance in excitation in the brain. This study will examine the preliminary effects of non-invasive brain stimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS) combined with arm rehabilitation training (repetitive task-specific practice, RTP) for individuals with neglect following stroke. The investigators will examine the effects of the intervention on brain excitability, upper extremity motor impairment, and attentional impairment. This study will also examine assessment of neglect. There are many clinical assessments designed to assess neglect; however, it is unknown whether items from some of the most commonly used assessments are able to effectively measure neglect or whether items from these assessments can be combined. Clinicians rely on clinical assessments to inform treatment and document patient progress. Therefore, it is important that investigators more closely examine these existing assessments.

Inclusion criteria

• Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke 3 months post stroke
• Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FMA-Upper Extremity) score between 20-56/60
• Inducible motor evoked potential (MEP) of the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) on the paretic stimulation (TMS)
• Demonstrate the presence of unilateral neglect (Virtual Reality Lateralized Attention Test score <18)

Exclusion criteria

• History of cortical hemorrhagic stroke
• Presence of any MRI, TMS, tDCS risk factors including:

• history of seizures
• history of brain tumor
• hardware in skull or spine (e.g. coils, clips)
• implantable medical device (e.g. pacemaker)
• metal in body (not compatible with MRI)
• pregnancy
• Severe spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale score 3)
• Severe aphasia or cognitive impairment limiting participants' comprehension (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Level of Consciousness Commands Item score 1 or Best Language Item score 2)
• Unable to travel to UE Motor Function Laboratory at the Center for Rehabilitation Research in Neurological Conditions (a collaborative, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved, research center Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina) for the study