Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on the performance of the activities of daily living and attention function after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to interrogate the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the performance in activities of daily living (ADL) and attention function after stroke. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation hospital. SUBJECTS: = 29), whose mean (SD) was 58.12 (6.72) years. A total of 33 (56.9%) patients had right hemisphere lesion while the rest 25 (43.1%) patients had left hemisphere lesion. INTERVENTIONS: Patients in the TMS group received 10 Hz, 700 pulses of TMS, while those in the sham group received sham TMS for four weeks. All the participants underwent comprehensive cognitive training. MAIN MEASURES: At baseline, and end of the four-week treatment, the performance in the activities of daily living was assessed by Functional Independence Measure (FIM). On the other side, attention dysfunction was screened by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), while the attention function was assessed by the Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A), Digit Symbol Test (DST) and Digital Span Test (DS). RESULTS: 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we demonstrate that TMS improves the performance in the activities of daily living and attention function in patients with stroke.