A meta-analysis on transcranial magnetic stimulation for Parkinson's disease / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To systematically review findings on the effectiveness and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treating Parkinson's disease. Methods Foreign and Chinese databases were searched to find relevant trials. The searches were supplemented by searching the reference lists of the published trials. The studies were separated into two groups those applying TMS at frequencies higher than 1 Hz, and those at 1 Hz or lower. Meta-analysis was performed with the aid of RevMan 5.0 software. Results Both low-frequency and highfrequency TMS can significantly reduce total scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) compared with sham stimulations. High-frequency TMS can significantly reduce UPDRS motor scores compared with sham stimulations. On the other hand, low-frequency TMS studies showed no significant overall improvement in motor scores, mental scores or in the activities of daily living (ADL) UPDRS scores. Low-frequency and high-frequency TMS studies also showed no significant overall improvement in Schwab and England ADL scores. Conclusions TMS therapy is safe and partially effective for treating Parkinson's disease.