Cerebral activity manipulation of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in post-stroke patients with cognitive impairment

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). METHODS: Thirty-six PSCI patients were randomly divided into treatment and control groups of equal size. Both groups were pre-treated with conventional cognitive rehabilitation training. Subsequently, the treatment group was exposed to 1 Hz low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations for 8 weeks, with 5 days per week. Meanwhile, the control group was treated with placebo stimulations. Patients were evaluated via the LOTCA scale assessments and changes in P300 latencies and amplitudes before and after 8 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Before treatment, there were no significant differences between the two groups in LOTCA scores, P300 latencies, and amplitudes (P > 0.05). After treatment, LOTCA scores for both groups improved (P < 0.05), and those of the treatment group were higher than those of the control (P < 0.05). For both groups, P300 latencies were not only shortened but also had greater amplitudes (P < 0.05), and those for the treatment group were significantly shorter and larger than those of the control (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: As a therapy, rTMS improved cognitive function in PSCI patients, possibly via regulation of neural electrical activity of the cerebral cortex.