Electrical brain stimulation can alleviate swallowing disorders
after stroke   "Our demonstrated that ten daily sessions of tDCS
over the affected esophageal of the brain hemisphere affected by
the stroke, combined with swallowing training, improved post-
stroke . We observed long-lasting effects of anodal tDCS over
three months," reports lead investigator Nam-Jong Paik, MD, PhD,
of the Department of , Seoul National University College of
Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.  Sixteen patients with acute post-
stroke dysphagia were enrolled in the trial. They showed signs
of swallowing difficulties such as reduced , coughing and
choking during eating, and palsy. Patients underwent ten
30-minute sessions of swallowing therapy and were randomly
assigned to a treatment or control group. Both groups were
fitted with an electrode on the scalp, on the side of the brain
affected by the stroke, and in the region associated with
swallowing. For the first 20 minutes of their sessions, tDCS was
administered to the treatment group