Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) on functional recovery and synaptic interface structure in the contralateral brain area of rats with cerebral infarction / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the effects of TMS on the brain plasticity and functional outcome after cerebral infarction in rats. Methods Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into a model group and a TMS group. The rat models of focal cerebral infarction were established with unilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) suture occlusion method. The rats of TMS group were given additional 4 weeks of TMS treatment commenced at!1 day after infarction (2 times per day, 30 pulses per time), while those in the control group were reared in their original living state. Synaptic substructure in the sensori-motor cortex area was assessed morphologically and quantitatively. Results When compared with the model group, the rats in the experimental group had a significant improvement in terms of their neural functions (P