Ming Zhang, Yu Wu, Fan Jia, Ling Gao, Fengming Chu, Wei Tang
Department of Mechatronic Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu, China.
The Affiliated Xuzhou Rehabilitation Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 7;15(1):11829. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96039-x.
This study investigates whether the combined effect of kinesthetic motor imagery-based brain computer interface (KI-BCI) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on upper limb function in subacute stroke patients is more effective than using KI-BCI or tDCS alone. Forty-eight subacute stroke survivors were randomized to the KI-BCI, tDCS, or BCI-tDCS group. The KI-BCI group performed 30 min of KI-BCI training. Patients in tDCS group received 30 min of tDCS. Patients in BCI-tDCS group received 15 min of tDCS and 15 min of KI-BCI. The treatment cycle was five times a week, for four weeks. After all intervention, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity, Motor Status Scale, and the Modified Barthel Index scores of the KI-BCI group were superior to those of the tDCS group. The BCI-tDCS group was superior to the tDCS group in terms of the Motor Status Scale. Although quantitative EEG showed no significant group differences, the quantitative EEG indices in the tDCS group were significantly lower than before treatment. In conclusion, after treatment, although all intervention strategies improved upper limb motor function and daily living abilities in subacute stroke patients, KI-BCI demonstrated significantly better efficacy than tDCS. Under the same total treatment duration, the combined use of tDCS and KI-BCI did not achieve the hypothesized optimal outcome. Notably, tDCS reduced QEEG indices, possibly indicating favorable future outcomes in future.Trial registry number: ChiCTR2000034730.
本研究旨在调查基于动觉运动想象的脑机接口（KI-BCI）与经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）联合应用对亚急性卒中患者上肢功能的影响是否比单独使用KI-BCI或tDCS更有效。48名亚急性卒中幸存者被随机分为KI-BCI组、tDCS组或BCI-tDCS组。KI-BCI组进行30分钟的KI-BCI训练。tDCS组患者接受30分钟的tDCS。BCI-tDCS组患者接受15分钟的tDCS和15分钟的KI-BCI。治疗周期为每周5次，共4周。所有干预结束后，KI-BCI组的Fugl-Meyer上肢评估、运动状态量表和改良Barthel指数评分均优于tDCS组。在运动状态量表方面，BCI-tDCS组优于tDCS组。虽然定量脑电图显示组间无显著差异，但tDCS组的定量脑电图指标显著低于治疗前。总之，治疗后，虽然所有干预策略均改善了亚急性卒中患者的上肢运动功能和日常生活能力，但KI-BCI的疗效显著优于tDCS。在相同的总治疗时长下，tDCS与KI-BCI联合使用未达到假设的最佳效果。值得注意的是，tDCS降低了定量脑电图指标，这可能预示着未来良好的预后。试验注册号：ChiCTR2000034730。
