Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a simple way of directly electrically stimluating the surface of the brain, which seems to be able to increase or reduce how "excitable" (how easily activated by nerve cell inputs) the brain's cortex is. The hope is that if done in the right way this might help recovery from or rehabilitation of stroke. It makes a good alternative to transcranial magnetic stimulation, because it's cheaper and more comfortable, so it's being increasingly used. We don't know for certain how it works yet, but GABA (the main chemical in the brain that is released by nerve cells and inhibits other nerve cells) and glutamate (the main chemical that is released by nerve cells and stimulates other nerve cells) seem to be involved.
This review by Charlotte Stagg in Oxford explains a bit about the use of tDCS in chronic stroke (that is, stroke that happened some time ago). I'm afraid it's a bit "tech-y", but it's easier than reading the research articles!
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