Intermittent theta-burst stimulation for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Yueying Wang, Huiyue Feng, Jingang Dai et al.
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In 30 seconds
This double-blind randomized controlled trial evaluated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment. Participants received four weeks of two 600-pulse iTBS sessions separated by 50 minutes, or sham stimulation; 60 were enrolled and 57 completed the study. Compared with sham, the iTBS group had significantly higher post-treatment scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Modified Barthel Index (p < 0.05 for all). One treatment-related headache was reported, with no serious adverse events.
Key findings
- Sixty patients were enrolled and 57 completed the trial.
- MMSE and MoCA scores were significantly higher with iTBS than sham after treatment (p < 0.05 for both).
- Modified Barthel Index scores were significantly higher with iTBS than sham (p < 0.05).
- One patient experienced a headache during treatment; no serious adverse events occurred.
Why it matters
Cognitive impairment and limitations in daily activities are important concerns after stroke. This trial reports improvements in cognitive test scores and activities-of-daily-living scores with a time-efficient iTBS regimen compared with sham, while serious adverse events were not observed. The findings add controlled evidence about this stimulation approach, although they do not establish how durable the measured benefits are.
What to keep in mind
The study included 60 patients, with 57 completing treatment, and assessed outcomes only before and after the four-week intervention; longer-term effects are not reported in the abstract.