Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2025
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the Unilateral Hemisphere of Rat Brain
Published on: October 22, 2016
Comparison of Bilateral Versus Unilateral 5 Hz or 1 Hz Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Subacute
Ann A Abdelkader1, Lamia M Afifi1, Eman A Maher1
1Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Neurology, Kasr Alaini Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; and.
Purpose:
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can enhance brain plasticity after stroke. At low frequencies, rTMS has an inhibitory effect, whereas at high frequencies, it has an excitatory effect. Combining both frequencies in bilateral stimulation is a new rTMS protocol under investigation, especially in the subacute stage.
Methods:
Fifty-five patients with subacute stroke were divided into four groups according to the rTMS protocol delivered: bilateral, inhibitory, excitatory, and control groups. All groups received concomitant task-oriented physiotherapy. Pretreatment to posttreatment assessment was performed twice, immediately after sessions and 1 month later. Volitional motor control was evaluated by Fugl-Meyer and Wolf motor function tests, and for spasticity, the Ashworth scale was used.
Results:
All groups showed significant improvement. Bilateral, inhibitory, and excitatory groups showed same efficacy, but the bilateral protocol was superior in spasticity. No correlations were found between improvement and stroke duration and site except for spasticity.
Conclusions:
Bilateral rTMS shows a comparable effect to inhibitory and excitatory rTMS in improving motor disability in subacute stroke. However, it is superior for spasticity.
