Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Post-stroke Gait Rehab

Stroke affects upwards of 800,000 Americans every year and has an enormous impact on the well-being of the American Veteran population with 6,000 new stroke admissions every year. Many of these stroke survivors are living with walking disabilities. Gait problems result in inability to function independently, high risk of falls and poor quality of life. Unfortunately, current gait rehabilitation treatments are limited and many stroke survivors do not achieve full recovery. Therefore, it is critical to develop new approaches to enhance gait rehabilitation methods. The investigators propose to evaluate a brain stimulation treatment called transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) that can be added to physical therapy. tDCS has been applied for arm rehabilitation after stroke with positive results, but gait-related investigations are lacking. The investigators will test whether simultaneous tDCS and gait training produces greater improvement in walking abilities than gait training alone. Adjunct tDCS therapy may improve outcomes, and reduce cost of both rehabilitation and post-stroke care.