Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Patients of Poststroke Upper Extremity Motor Impairment: A Randomized...

This study compared the effects of continuous theta burst stimulation and low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical activity modulation and upper limb motor recovery in subacute stroke patients.

A total of 105 subacute stroke patients with unilateral upper limb impairment were randomly divided into the following three groups: continuous theta burst stimulation, low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and sham. Main outcomes included upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score and modified Barthel Index scores at baseline, 4 wks (posttreatment), and 12 wks (follow-up). Secondary outcomes evaluated cortical activation via functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

Among 103 recruited participants, 98 completed follow-up. Both continuous theta burst stimulation and low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation groups showed significantly greater upper extremity Fugl-Meyer improvement than the sham group at 4 and 12 wks ( P < 0.05), while modified Barthel Index scores did not differ significantly. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy revealed that active treatments suppressed contralesional primary motor cortex activation, with continuous theta burst stimulation additionally inhibiting premotor and supplementary motor areas.

Continuous theta burst stimulation and low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation effectively enhanced upper limb motor motricity in stroke patients compared to sham stimulation, suggesting their potential as noninvasive neuromodulatory therapies for poststroke rehabilitation.