Adding transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to visual scanning training does not enhance treatment effect on hemispatial neglect: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Left-sided transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) increases right hemispheric activity, which may improve the rehabilitative outcome of hemispatial neglect.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the behavioral effect of electrical stimulation of the nerve afferents of the left hand during early neuropsychological rehabilitation of post-stroke patients with hemispatial neglect.

METHODS: This randomized, controlled, double-blind study included 29 patients (enrolled in the experimental or control group) with left hemispatial neglect after right hemispheric stroke. For 3 weeks, patients received 15 therapeutic sessions involving TENS (active or sham) with a mesh glove applied on the entire left hand during the first 30 minutes of a 45-minute conventional visual scanning training (VST). Signs of hemispatial neglect were assessed using a psychometric test before and after treatment.

RESULTS: Univariate analysis of covariance revealed that differences between the control and experimental groups were not significant after treatment (F(1, 22) = 0.294, P = 0.593) when adjusted for pre-treatment scores and time since stroke onset. This suggested that electrical stimulation failed to mitigate the severity of hemispatial neglect symptoms.

CONCLUSION: Our study did not provide evidence of the effectiveness of TENS when added to VST during early rehabilitation for patients with post-stroke hemispatial neglect. Other techniques (applied alone or together) should be sought to improve recovery in this population.