Intermittent theta-burst stimulation for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) significantly affects patients' quality of life. Although standard repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promising efficacy, the effectiveness of the newer, more time-efficient intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) remains to be validated. METHODS: Two groups of randomly assigned patients with PSCI received either four weeks of two 600-pulse iTBS treatment sessions with a 50-minute interval between sessions or sham stimulation. Cognitive function and activities of daily living were assessed before and after treatment using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). RESULTS: < 0.05for all). Only one patient experienced a headache during treatment, and no serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: Two blocks of iTBS therapy with 600 pulses each at 50-minute intervals demonstrated favorable therapeutic effects in patients with PSCI.