Transcranial direct current stimulation for post-stroke dysphagia: a meta-analysis.

"Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participateNot applicable. Consent for publicationNot applicable. Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

"Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

"This study was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022314949) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), the recommendations for their implementation in Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sport Medicine and Sports Science (PERSiST) [] and the reporting guidelines and the recommendations from the Cochrane Collaboration []. The PICO question was then chosen as follows: P—population: patients with post-stroke dysphagia; I—intervention: tDCS; C—control: other rehabilitation techniques and/or CDT; O—outcome: swallowing function, degree of aspiration and/or oral and pharyngeal transit time; S—study designs: randomized controlled trials. Conclusions: Transcranial direct current stimulation has positive effects in the treatment of poststroke dysphagia by improving swallowing function, oral and pharyngeal phase times and the risk of penetration and aspiration. Furthermore, its combination with conventional dysphagia therapy, balloon dilatation with catheter or training of the swallowing muscles ensures improvement of swallowing function.: PROSPERO registration ID CRD42022314949"