A Review on Combined Strategy of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Robotic Therapy

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability among adults in China, and an efficient rehabilitation strategy has been an urgent demand for post-stroke rehabilitation. The non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS) can modulate the excitability of the cerebral cortex and provide after-effects apart from immediate effects to regain extremity motor functions, whereas robotic therapy provides high-intensity and long-duration repetitive movements to stimulate the cerebral cortex backward. The combined strategy of the two techniques is widely regarded as a promising application for stroke patients with dyskinesia. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) are important methods of NBS. Their recovery principles, stimulation parameters, and clinical applications have been summarized. The combined treatments of rTMS/tDCS and robotic therapy are analyzed and discussed to overcome the application barriers of the two techniques. The future development trend and the key technical problems are expounded for the clinical applications.