The effects of different frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on patients with swallowing disorders after cerebral infarction

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Du, Yupeng^{a; 1} | Wei, Li^{b; 1} | Lu, Ying^a | Gao, Hong^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China | [b] State Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Hong Gao, Department of Rehabilitation, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China. E-mail: qtgh@vip.qq.com.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Swallowing disorders represent one of the most common complications after cerebral infarction. OBJECTIVE:To study the effects of different frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on swallowing disorders after cerebral infarction. METHODS:Ninety patients with swallowing disorder after cerebral infarction were enrolled and randomly assigned to three groups: the 10 Hz frequency rTMS group (30 patients), the 5 Hz frequency rTMS group (30 patients), and the 1 Hz frequency rTMS group (30 patients); another 90 healthy persons without swallowing disorders were included as the control group. The Kubota’s water-swallow test, the video fluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS), and the Electroencephalograph (EEG) were analyzed before and after treatment; the EEG of the control group was detected as the baseline. RESULTS:The Kubota’s water-swallow test scores were significantly decreased while the scores of pharynx period and the aspiration degree of VFSS significantly increased in 10 Hz frequency rTMS group than before treatment (P≤0.05); the amplitudes of C3 of the EEG significantly increased in three frequency groups than before treatment (P≤0.05). CONCLUSIONS:10 Hz frequency of rTMS is effective for the treatment of swallowing disorder after cerebral infarction, the excitement of C3 area maybe the therapeutic target of rTMS on swallowing disorder after cerebral infarction.

Keywords: Swallowing disorders after cerebral infarction, Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), Electroencephalograph (EEG), Frequency, C3 area

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-210176

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 115-122, 2022