(UPI) – A noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation device worn less than an hour a day can increase activity near stroke-injured areas of the brain, a small, preliminary study suggests.
Those improvements in brain activity might then lead to increased motor function in people who have had a stroke, the researchers said.
“We were excited to see a strong hint of improved motor function even in this small study. There is hope for stroke survivors with chronic motor impairment,” said study senior author Dr. David Chiu, director of Houston Methodist Hospital’s Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center.
The study included 30 ischemic stroke survivors. An ischemic stroke is one in which a blood vessel becomes blocked, preventing blood flow to the brain. If blood flow isn’t quickly restored, brain damage occurs. CONTINUE