Clinical research on the impact of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with music therapy on cognitive impairment after stroke
10.3969/j.issn.1672-5921.2025.04.001
- VernacularTitle:经颅直流电刺激联合音乐治疗对卒中后认知障碍影响的临床研究
- Author:
Xueping BO
1
;
Suhui CHEN
1
;
Cheng WANG
1
;
Ming WU
1
Author Information
1. 230001 合肥,中国科学技术大学附属第一医院(安徽省立医院)康复医学科
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Transcranial direct current stimulation;
Music therapy;
Rehabilitation;
Post-stroke cognitive impairment
- From:
Chinese Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases
2025;22(4):217-224
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To observe the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS)combined with music therapy on cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI).Methods This prospective study enrolled subacute stroke(2 weeks to 6 months after onset)patients with cognitive impairment admitted to the Rehabilitation Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China(Anhui Provincial Hospital)from January 2023 to December 2024.Using the random number table,patients in the subacute early stage(2 weeks to＜3 months after stroke)and subacute late stage(3 months to 6 months after stroke)were respectively assigned to the experimental group and the control group.Baseline clinical data were collected,including gender,age,stroke type(intracerebral hemorrhage,cerebral infarction),lesion side(left,right),disease course,educational attainment,history of smoking and alcohol consumption,stroke area(basal ganglia,temporal lobe,frontal lobe),and National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score at admission.Both groups received conventional rehabilitation treatment.The experimental group additionally received tDCS treatment combined with music therapy intervention,which included active and passive music therapy.In contrast,the control group received only tDCS treatment in conjunction of conventional rehabilitation intervention.Both groups received treatment for 2 weeks.The Montreal cognitive assessment scale(MoCA),Rivermead behavioural memory test(RBMT),and digit span test(DST)were used to evaluate the overall cognitive function,memory,and attention of PSCI patients before and after treatment.The modified Barthel index(MBI)was used to evaluate the daily living activity ability of PSCI patients 2 weeks post-treatment.Results A total of 40 PSCI patients were included in this study,with 20 cases in each group.Among the participants,17 in the experimental group and 18 in the control group were in early stage of subacute stroke,while 3 in the experimental group and 2 in the control group were in the late stage of subacute stroke.(1)There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline clinical data of the two groups(all P＞0.05).(2)Before treatment,the MoCA,RBMT,and DST scores in the experimental group were(15.00±3.71),(2.90±1.07),and(4.05±1.47)points,respectively,while the corresponding scores in the control group were(13.45±2.61),(2.75±0.77),and(3.35±0.99)points.There were no statistically significant differences in the MoCA,RBMT,and DST scores between the two groups before treatment(all P＞0.05).Two weeks after treatment,the MoCA,RBMT,and DST scores in the experimental group were(19.05±4.35),(5.15±1.50),and(5.85±1.66)points,respectively,compared to(15.90±2.73),(3.45±1.15),and(4.35±1.18)points in the control group.The interaction effect of time and group(Ftime×group)was 15.716,45.762 and 14.140,respectively,all of which were statistically significant(all P＜0.01);the group main effect(Fgroup)was 4.876,7.140,and 7.074,respectively,all of which were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the time main effect(Ftime)was 259.370,165.762,and 173.209,respectively,all of which were statistically significant(all P＜0.01).(3)Before treatment,the MBI scores of the experimental group and control group were(56.00±7.18)and(55.25±5.73)points,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).Two weeks after the treatment,the MBI scores of the experimental group and control group were(63.00±6.77)and(60.50±5.36)points,respectively.No statistically significant differences were observed in the interaction effect of time and group,or the main effect of group between the two groups after treatment(Ftime ×group=1.677,P＞0.05;Fgroup=0.751,P＞0.05).While a statistically significant difference was found in the main effect of time on the MBI scores between the experimental group and control group(Ftime=82.196,P＜0.01).Conclusion The combination of tDCS and music therapy can improve the cognitive function and daily living activity ability in patients with PSCI,and offering superior outcomes compared to tDCS treatment alone.
