Aims: Our study aimed to figure out brain functional reorganization evidence after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) using the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI).
Methods: Twelve patients with unilateral subcortex lesion in the middle cerebral artery territory were recruited. Seven of them received a 10-day rTMS treatment beginning at about 5 days after stroke onset. The remaining five received sham treatment. RsfMRI and motor functional scores were obtained before and after rTMS or sham rTMS.
Results: The rTMS group showed motor recovery according to the behavioral testing scores, while there was no significant difference of motor functional scores in the sham group before and after the sham rTMS. It proved that rTMS facilitates motor recovery of early ischemic stroke patients. Compared with the sham, the rTMS treatment group achieved increased functional connectivity (FC) between ipsilesional M1 and contralesional M1, supplementary motor area, bilateral thalamus, and contralesional postcentral gyrus. And decreased FC was found between ipsilesional M1 and ipsilesional M1, postcentral gyrus and inferior and middle frontal gyrus.
Conclusion: Increased or decreased FC detected by rsfMRI is an important finding to understand the mechanism of brain functional reorganization. The rTMS treatment is a promising therapeutic approach to facilitate motor rehabilitation for early stroke patients.
Keywords: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Ischemic stroke; Motor recovery; Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS); Resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI).
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.