A recent study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2025 in Los Angeles has found that mild electrical brain stimulation did not improve motor recovery in stroke survivors undergoing constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT).
The study, known as TRANSPORT 2, involved 129 stroke survivors who received either sham/placebo stimulation, low-dose (2 milliamps) or high-dose (4 milliamps) electrical stimulation combined with CIMT. The researchers assessed three aspects of arm function after 10 sessions over a two-week period: impairment, function, and quality of life.
While all three groups showed improvement after two weeks of treatment, the magnitude of improvement was similar across the groups. This suggests that the electrical stimulation did not provide any additional benefit beyond the CIMT therapy alone.
The study's lead investigator, Dr. Wayne Feng, noted that the results were "somewhat surprising" and that they are planning future clinical trials to investigate the potential of higher doses of electrical stimulation and ensure equal representation of men and women in the participant groups.
The study highlights the need for further research to understand the role of brain stimulation in stroke recovery. While the results of this study are preliminary, they suggest that electrical stimulation may not be a viable option for enhancing CIMT therapy in all stroke survivors.