The effect of combining transcranial magnetic stimulation with escitalopram on neurological functioning, depression and serum inflammatory factors after a stroke / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of combining repeated high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with escitalopram in treating the neurological functioning and post-stroke depression of stroke survivors.Methods:Eighty persons with post-stroke depression were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, each of 40. The control group was treated with oral escitalopram, while the observation group also received transcranial magnetic stimulation at 5Hz. The magnetic stimulation intensity was 80% of each person′s resting motion threshold. The rTMS was administered once a day, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Neurological functioning and depression were evaluated using National Institutes of Health stroke scoring (NIHSS) and the Hamilton depression scale before and after the 8 weeks of treatment. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum samples from the two groups were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results:After treatment, the NIHSS and Hamilton scores and TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-6 levels in both groups had improved significantly, but in each case they were significantly better in the treated group, on average.Conclusion:Supplementing escitalopram with high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation more effectively improves depression and neurological functioning after a stroke.