In this retrospective cohort, combined TMS and tDCS with standard rehabilitation was associated with lower depression and anxiety symptom scores and more favorable neurological and motor outcome trajectories than standard rehabilitation, but non-random treatment allocation and residual confounding preclude causal interpretation and prospective randomized studies are required.
At 8 weeks, the combined TMS + tDCS group had lower depression (BDI) scores than the standard rehabilitation group.
At 8 weeks, the combined TMS + tDCS group had lower anxiety (GAD-7) scores than the standard rehabilitation group.
Significant group × time associations were found for all primary and secondary outcomes.
The combined group had better neurological and motor outcomes than the standard rehabilitation group at 4 and 8 weeks.
No severe adverse events were documented, and total adverse-event rates did not differ significantly between groups.
Measured baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the four treatment groups.
The study design limits causal interpretation.
This study looked back at medical records of 180 stroke patients who received different rehabilitation approaches. Some got standard rehabilitation alone, some got standard rehabilitation plus one type of brain stimulation (magnetic or electrical), and some got both types together. Researchers tracked depression, anxiety, stroke severity, disability, and motor function over 8 weeks. Patients who received both types of brain stimulation along with standard rehabilitation had lower depression and anxiety scores at 8 weeks than those who had standard rehabilitation alone. They also showed better neurological and movement-related scores at 4 and 8 weeks. No severe adverse events were recorded, and the rates of minor adverse events were similar across groups. This research suggests that combining these two brain stimulation methods may be linked to better mood and recovery after stroke. However, because patients were not randomly assigned to treatments, and the choice depended on physician recommendations and patient preference, other factors could explain the differences. The authors emphasize that the findings cannot show that the treatment caused the improvements, and that randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm them.
Wu Y, Shen Y, Huang M. (2026). Associations of Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With Psychological and Functional Outcomes After Stroke: A Retrospective Cohort Study.. Actas espanolas de psiquiatria. https://doi.org/10.62641/aep.2337