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Updated: Sep 14, 2025
Author Spotlight: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Movement Observation in Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation influences cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with
Jingyi Zhao1,2, Tingting Peng1, Liru Liu1
1Department of Rehabilitation, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China.
Insights
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improved cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This non-invasive brain stimulation applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) showed promising safety and efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often struggle with tasks requiring combined cognitive and motor skills.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) shows potential for enhancing motor and cognitive functions.
- The impact of rTMS on cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with CP is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of rTMS in improving cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with CP.
- To assess the impact of rTMS on specific motor and cognitive tasks in this population.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 44 children with CP (aged 6-12 years).
- Participants received either active or sham rTMS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) over three consecutive sessions.
- Performance on the Box and Block Test (BBT) and Serial Subtraction Test (SST) was assessed individually and simultaneously before and after rTMS.
Main Results:
- The active rTMS group showed significant improvements in Serial Subtraction Test (SST) scores for both single-task and dual-task conditions compared to the sham group on day 3.
- Greater improvement in Box and Block Test (BBT) scores under dual-task conditions was observed in the active rTMS group.
- No significant differences were found in single-task BBT performance between groups; no serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusions:
- rTMS applied to the left DLPFC is a safe and effective intervention for enhancing cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with CP.
- This neuromodulation technique offers a potential therapeutic avenue for improving functional abilities in children with CP.
Background:
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) may face challenges when engaging in activities that require simultaneous cognitive and motor efforts. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has the potential to improve motor and cognitive functions in some populations. However, the effect of rTMS on the performance of cognitive-motor dual-task in children with CP remains unclear.
Objective:
To investigate the efficacy and safety of rTMS on the performance of cognitive-motor dual-task in children with CP.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled trial, forty-four children with CP (aged 6-12 years) were recruited. They were randomly allocated to receive 3 consecutive sessions of active or sham rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Participants were asked to perform the Box and Block Test (BBT) and Serial Subtraction Test (SST) separately or simultaneously before and immediately after each rTMS session.
Results:
Forty participants completed the study (22 in the active rTMS group). On day 3, significant enhancements were observed in SST scores for the active rTMS group compared to the sham group (single-task:14.4 ± 1.6 vs. 8.89 ± 1.8, p = 0.024; dual-task: 9.36 ± 1.0 vs. 3.89 ± 1.1, p = 0.001). Under the dual-task condition, the active rTMS group displayed a greater improvement in BBT scores than the sham group on day 3 (8.91 ± 1.03 vs. 3.83 ± 1.14, corrected p = 0.003). There were no notable differences between the two groups in the improvement of BBT scores under the single-task condition. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion:
The rTMS applied to the left DLPFC is safe and effective in improving the performance of cognitive-motor dual-task in children with CP.
