Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Different Brain Stimulation Sites on Cognition and Upper Extremity Function in Stroke Patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) according to the brain stimulation site on cognition and upper extremity function in stroke patients. The 48 patients were randomly assigned to group 1 (n = 16), group 2 (n = 16) and sham control group (n = 16). Group 1 stimulated the ipsilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with 90 % of the resting motor threshold (RMT), and group 2 stimulated the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1) with 90 % of the RMT. For sham stimulation of group 3, the coil was placed perpendicular to the skull. All subjects received rTMS before traditional rehabilitation treatment, and rTMS sessions were conducted 5 times per week, for a total of 4 weeks. The subject