Therapeutic Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Post-stroke Vascular Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Pilot Study

Byoungwoo Cha; Jongwook Kim; Jong Moon Kim; Joo-Wan Choi; Jeein Choi; Kakyeong Kim; Jiook Cha; MinYoung Kim

doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.813597

Therapeutic Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Post-stroke Vascular Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Pilot Study

Front Neurol. 2022 Mar 22:13:813597. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.813597. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Byoungwoo Cha¹, Jongwook Kim¹, Jong Moon Kim^{1

2}, Joo-Wan Choi², Jeein Choi², Kakyeong Kim³, Jiook Cha^{3

4

5}, MinYoung Kim^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea.
² Rehabilitation and Regeneration Research Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea.
³ Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
⁵ AI Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.

Abstract

Objective: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is resistant to treatment. Recent studies have widely applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to treat various brain dysfunctions, such as post-stroke syndromes. Nonetheless, a protocol for PSCI has not been established. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of our high-frequency rTMS protocol for PSCI during the chronic phase of stroke.

Methods: In this prospective study, ten patients with PSCI were enrolled and received high-frequency rTMS on the ipsilesional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 10 sessions (5 days per week for 2 weeks). Cognitive and affective abilities were assessed at baseline and 2 and 14 weeks after rTMS initiation. To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of rTMS, the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, transforming growth factor beta [TGF-β], and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) in peripheral blood samples were quantified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and cognitive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted at baseline and 14 weeks in two randomly selected patients after rTMS treatment.

Results: The scores of several cognitive evaluations, i.e., the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), and complex figure copy test (CFT), were increased after completion of the rTMS session. After 3 months, these improvements were sustained, and scores on the Mini-Mental Status Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were also increased (p < 0.05). While the Geriatric Depression Scale (GeDS) did not show change among all patients, those with moderate-to-severe depression showed amelioration of the score, with marginal significance. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was decreased immediately after the ten treatment sessions, among which, IL-1β remained at a lower level after 3 months. Furthermore, strong correlations between the decrease in IL-6 and increments in AVLT (r = 0.928) and CFT (r = 0.886) were found immediately after the rTMS treatment (p < 0.05). Follow-up fMRI revealed significant activation in several brain regions, such as the medial frontal lobe, hippocampus, and angular area.

Conclusions: High-frequency rTMS on the ipsilesional DLPFC may exert immediate efficacy on cognition with the anti-inflammatory response and changes in brain network in PSCI, lasting at least 3 months.

Keywords: chronic stroke; depression; ipsilesional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; post-stroke vascular cognitive impairment; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.