Effects of the intermittent theta burst stimulation on gait, balance and lower limbs motor function in stroke: study protocol for a double-blind randomised controlled trial with multimodal neuroimaging assessments

Approximately, 50% of stroke survivors experience impaired walking ability 6 months after conventional rehabilitation and standard care. However, compared with upper limb motor function, research on lower limbs rehabilitation through non-invasive neuromodulation like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has received less attention. Limited evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), an optimised rTMS modality, on lower limbs rehabilitation after stroke. This study aims to evaluate the effects of iTBS on gait, balance and lower limbs motor function in stroke recovery while also exploring the underlying neural mechanisms using longitudinal analysis of multimodal neuroimaging data.