RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in improving lower limb spasticity after stroke. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine (CBM) disc, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang databases were searched online from their inception to May 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for lower extremity spasticity after stroke. Valid data were extracted from the included literature, and the quality evaluation was conducted with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions along with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale (PE-Dro scale). The data that met the quality requirements were systematically analysed using Review Manager 5.4 software. RESULTS: A total of 554 patients from seven articles (nine studies) were quantitatively analysed. Outcomes included the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Timed Up and Go (TUG), measured as the effect of rTMS compared with controls conditions after treatment. The systematic review showed that rTMS reduced MAS and increased MBI scores, respectively (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI [-0.45, -0.03], P = 0.02; MD = 6.14, 95% CI [-3.93,8.35], P ï¼ 0.00001), compared with control conditions. Low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) significantly improved FMA-LE scores (SMD = 0.32, 95% CI [0.13, 0.51], P = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in FMA-LE scores when using high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) (P > 0.1) and in TUG times (P > 0.1) between the treatment and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: rTMS was effective in improving spasticity and activities of daily living. LF-rTMS has positive clinical effects on enhancing motor function in patients who experience lower extremity spasticity after stroke. To better validate the above conclusions, more multicentre, high-quality, and double-blind randomized controlled trials are needed.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND This single-center study aimed to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on modulation of thyroid hormone levels and cognition in the recovery stage of patients with cognitive dysfunction following stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy post-stroke patients who had cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to either the rTMS group or the control (sham) group. Both groups were administered basic treatment, with the rTMS group receiving rTMS (1 Hz, 90% MT, 1000 pulse/20 min, once a day for 5 days, for a total of 20 times), the stimulation site was the contralateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and the sham group receiving sham stimulation which had the same stimulation parameters and site, except that the coil plane was placed perpendicular to the surface of the scalp. Cognitive function assessment and thyroid function tests were performed before and after 4 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Serum levels of triiodothyronine (T3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) showed a positive correlation with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale score of stroke patients in the recovery phase. The post-treatment change in the scores of MoCA and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and scores of 3 cognitive domains (visuospatial function, memory, and attention), as well as serum T3, FT3, and TSH levels, were improved more significantly in the rTMS group, and T3 and FT3 levels significantly affected the MoCA scores within the reference range. CONCLUSIONS Serum T3, FT3, and TSH levels of stroke patients in the recovery phase were positively correlated with MoCA score. rTMS increased T3, FT3, and TSH levels and also improved MoCA and MBI of patients in the recovery phase of stroke.
