NCT03689491

The Combining rTMS With Visual Feedback Training for Patients With Stroke

Investigating the Effects of Combining rTMS With Visual Feedback Training to Improve Movements in the Paretic Lower Limb and Gait Performance

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: Taipei Medical University Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

After stroke, patients often experience motor deficits that interrupt normal lower extremity movement and gait function. Recent developments in neuroimaging have focus on the reasons why some patients recover well while some do poorly. However, there is still no consensus on the exact mechanisms involved in regaining the functions after rehabilitation. Application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to facilitate neural plasticity during stroke treatment has recently gained considerable attention. The possible mechanism through which rTMS acts is based on the interhemispheric competition (IHC) model, which explains that patients with stroke experience alterations in cortical excitability and exhibit abnormally high interhemispheric inhibition from the unaffected hemisphere to the affected hemisphere. The visual feedback training can improve postural control and enhance motor performance. Several rTMS studies have evaluated the lower extremity dysfunction following stroke, but few studies have explored the efficacy of applying rTMS on the lower extremities. We expect the study can help us to further exploration of the change of clinical function and cortical excitability following rTMS and visual feedback training in subjects with stroke. In addition, the results of this project will be provided for further rehabilitation programs in people with stroke.

Detailed description

Objective: To investigate the effects of combining rTMS with visual feedback training to improve movements in the paretic lower limb and gait performance. Methods: Thirty patients with monohemispheric after ischemic stroke will recruited and randomized into 3 groups. The group 1 received a 10-minute rTMS intervention then a 30-minute visual feedback training. The group 2 received a 10-minute sham rTMS intervention then a 30-minute visual feedback training. The group 3 received a 10-minute sham rTMS intervention then a 30-minute traditional rehabilitation training. All subjects received treatments 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The performance was assessed by a blinded assessor for two times (baseline and after 4 weeks). The outcome measures included Motor evoked potential (MEP), Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Lower Limb section(FMA-LE),Motor Assessment Score(MAS), Berg Balance Test (BBS),Time Up and Go (TUG), and Modified Barthel Index for ADL ability. Collected data will be analyzed with ANOVA test by SPSS version 20.0, and alpha level was set at 0.05. The hypothesis is combining rTMS with visual feedback training has positive effects on lower limb and gait performance among patients with stroke.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	rTMS	The EMG measured the MEPs of the anterior tibialis in response to the TMS delivered using a Magstim Rapid2 stimulator (Magstim Co, Ltd, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK) with a 70-mm figure-8 coil (maximum power, 2.2 T) over the contralateral M1. The intensity was initially set at 100% of the machine output (MO) to determine the optimal stimulation site (hotspot). The hotspot was marked on the scalp with oil ink and recorded as x, y, in centimeters from the vertex (cz). The participants received real rTMS or sham rTMS, respectively (1 Hz, 10 min), which was before a 30-minute visual feedback training and/or traditional rehabilitation training.
BEHAVIORAL	visual feedback training	Game-based visual feedback training system and software.The system was designed to enable the subjects to perform ankle movements in multiple axes.
BEHAVIORAL	traditional rehabilitation	30 min traditional rehabilitation. The traditional rehabilitation programs included balance training, postural training, muscle strengthening, ambulation training and etc..

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-01-05
• Primary completion: 2019-06-30
• Completion: 2019-07-31
• First posted: 2018-09-28
• Last updated: 2023-01-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan