NCT01201629.

Trial name or title	Does transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improve functional motor recovery in the affected arm‐hand in patients after an acute ischemic stroke? Pilot study
Methods	Double‐blind RCT (parallel‐group design)
Participants	50 people 19 to 90 years of age with unilateral, first‐time ever acute ischaemic stroke within 4 weeks of admission to an inpatient rehabilitation facility and severe upper limb weakness (MRC < 2), medically stable from a cardiorespiratory standpoint so that they can participate in daily therapies, with ability to give informed consent Exclusion criteria: haemorrhagic stroke, patients with an episode of poststroke seizure or history of epilepsy; medically unstable, demented, or terminally ill patients; spasmolytics and medications known to enhance motor recovery such as d‐amphetamine, implanted pacemakers and defibrillators and refusal to provide informed consent
Interventions	Experimental: tDCS + OT, 1 mA of tDCS will be delivered through surface electrodes (25 to 35 cm2) to the unaffected motor cortex for 30 minutes before a participant's scheduled OT Sham comparator: tDCS + OT, stimulation for 30 seconds only
Outcomes	Primary outcome measures: total Functional Independence Measure after 4 weeks of therapy Secondary outcome measures: ARAT after 4 weeks of therapy
Starting date	January 2009
Contact information	Meheroz H Rabadi, MD, MRCPI rabadimh@gmail.com
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