The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the behavioral and psychological symptoms and the cognitive functioning of patients with Alzheimer's disease / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at different frequencies on behavioral and psychological symptoms and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease.Methods Seventy-two patients were randomly divided into a high frequency group,a low frequency group and a control group (n =24 for each),and given 10 Hz,1 Hz or sham rTMS over the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at an intensity was 80％ of each patient's movement threshold.The stimulation was for 30 min a day,five days a week.During the 4 weeks of treatment,risperidone was used at a fixed dose of 1 mg per day for all patients.Before and after the treatment,all 3 groups were assessed using the behavioral pathology in Alzheimer's disease rating scale (BEHAVE-AD) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE).Results Two weeks after the treatment,the average BEHAVE-AD score of the high frequency group had decreased significantly from (16.75±6.26) to (13.84± 6.10),significantly lower than the low frequency and the control groups' averages.Two weeks later,the average BEHAVE-AD scores of the 3 groups were significantly lower than before the treatment,but the decrease of the high frequency group was of significantly greater compared to the other 2 groups.Four weeks after the treatment the average MMSE score of the high frequency group was significantly better than before the treatment (P＜0.01),and better than the low frequency and the control group's averages.The effectiveness rates of the high frequency group,the low frequency group and the control group were 88％,58％ and 54％ respectively,all significantly different.Conclusion High frequency (10 Hz) rTMS combined with risperidone can improve the behavioral and psychological symptoms and cognitive function of AD patients,while low frequency (1Hz) rTMS does not have obvious effects.