Effect of tDCS Timing on Motor Recovery in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation

This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial investigates how the timing of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) influences functional recovery during acute stroke rehabilitation. 198 hospitalized patients with confirmed acute stroke will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each day, all participants will receive three tDCS sessions: one before, one during, and one after their rehabilitation session. In each group, only one of these three daily stimulations is active, while the other two are sham, allowing a direct comparison of timing effects while maintaining blinding. All participants will complete 2 sets of five consecutive days of conventional rehabilitation combined with the tDCS protocol (2 weeks). Functional, sensory, psychological, and motor outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention week. The study aims to determine whether the timing of tDCS application influences early post-stroke recovery and to inform the design of future confirmatory trials.