Excitatory Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Over the Ipsilesional Hemisphere for Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising therapy to promote recovery of the upper limb after stroke. According to the regulation of cortical excitability, rTMS can be divided into excitatory rTMS and inhibitory rTMS, and excitatory rTMS includes high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) or intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS). We aimed to evaluate the effects of excitatory rTMS over the ipsilesional hemisphere on upper limb motor recovery after stroke.
Databases of PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials published before 31 December 2021. RCTs on the effects of HF-rTMS or iTBS on upper limb function in patients diagnosed with stroke were included. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed quality. The meta-analysis was performed by using Review Manager Version 5.4 software.
Fifteen studies with 449 participants were included in this meta-analysis. This meta-analysis found that excitatory rTMS had significant efficacy on upper limb motor function (MD = 5.88, 95% CI, 3.32-8.43, P < 0.001), hand strength (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI, 0.04-1.01, P = 0.03), and hand dexterity (SMD = 0.76, 95% CI, 0.39-1.14, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses based on different types of rTMS showed that both iTBS and HF-rTMS significantly promoted upper limb motor function (iTBS, P < 0.001; HF-rTMS, P < 0.001) and hand dexterity (iTBS, P = 0.01; HF-rTMS, P < 0.001) but not hand strength (iTBS, P = 0.07; HF-rTMS, P = 0.12). Further subgroup analysis based on the duration of illness demonstrated that applying excitatory rTMS during the first 3 months (<1 month, P = 0.01; 1-3 months, P = 0.001) after stroke brought significant improvement in upper limb motor function but not in the patients with a duration longer than 3 months (P = 0.06). We found that HF-rTMS significantly enhanced the motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude of affected hemisphere (SMD = 0.82, 95% CI, 0.32-1.33, P = 0.001).
Our study demonstrated that excitatory rTMS over the ipsilesional hemisphere could significantly improve upper limb motor function, hand strength, and hand dexterity in patients diagnosed with stroke. Both iTBS and HF-rTMS which could significantly promote upper limb motor function and hand dexterity, and excitatory rTMS were beneficial to upper limb motor function recovery only when applied in the first 3 months after stroke. HF-rTMS could significantly enhance the MEP amplitude of the affected hemisphere. High-quality and large-scale randomized controlled trials in the future are required to confirm our conclusions.
www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022312288.
Tang Z
，Han K
，Wang R
，Zhang Y
，Zhang H
... -
《Frontiers in Neurology》
Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on lower extremity motor function and optimal parameters in stroke patients with different stages of stroke: a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), as an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation technique, is now widely employed in rehabilitation therapy. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively summarize existing evidence regarding rTMS intervention for lower limb motor function in patients at different stages of stroke.
A systematic search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of rTMS for treating lower limb motor dysfunction after stroke. Multiple databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, VIP Database, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, were searched. The search period extended from the inception of the libraries to June 2024. Literature information was extracted, and methodological quality was evaluated using the risk of bias assessment tool in the Cochrane Handbook. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 software.
Overall, 49 appropriate studies (including 3,558 stroke subjects) were found. Meta-analysis results demonstrated that rTMS effectively improved lower limb motor function across all stages of stroke. The intervention was particularly more effective in patients in the subacute stage than in the acute or chronic stages. Subgroup analysis revealed that, for acute-stage patients, low-frequency stimulation targeting the M1 or DLPFC brain regions on the unaffected side with 20-40 sessions significantly improved FMA-LE scores. In subacute-phase patients, low-frequency stimulation targeting the M1 brain regions on the unaffected side with 18 sessions significantly improved FMA-LE scores. The results demonstrated that HF-rTMS was more effective than LF-rTMS in improving walking speed, with the greatest efficacy observed at 20 sessions. While for enhancing gait balance in stroke patients, LF-rTMS with the best therapeutic effect was observed at a frequency of 20-40 treatments.
This study demonstrates the efficacy of rTMS in improving lower limb motor function, balance, and walking speed in stroke patients at various stages. The findings provide a valuable reference for the development of optimized rTMS treatment plans in clinical practice.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO: CRD42023466094.
Fan S
，Yan L
，Zhang J
，Qian Y
，Wang M
，Yang L
，Yu T
... -
《Frontiers in Neurology》
ResearchGate
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