Feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of intermittent theta burst stimulation combined with task-oriented training in subacute stroke: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Background and Purpose: Upper limb motor impairment after stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability. This single-center pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) combined with task-orient...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Back & Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 1485 - 1499 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
| Formato: | pictorial research tables/charts randomized controlled trial Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Sage Publications Inc.
Jul2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=194801595&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 194801595 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10538127 3MD jtl: Journal of Back & Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation issn: 10538127 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 39 iid: 4 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. place: Thousand Oaks, California artinfo: ui: 194801595 191374561 194801595 194801595 10.1177/10538127251412515 194801595 ppf: 1485 ppct: 14 formats: tig: atl: Feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of intermittent theta burst stimulation combined with task-oriented training in subacute stroke: A pilot randomized controlled trial. aug: au: Rida, Fatima Feng, Yali Zhou, Yi Tan, Botao Zhang, An Yu, Lehua affil: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China sug: subj: Stroke Rehabilitation Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Methods Physical Therapy Methods Task Performance and Analysis Upper Extremity Combined Modality Therapy Patient Safety Treatment Outcomes China Human Funding Source Female Male Adult Middle Age Aged Pilot Studies Randomized Controlled Trials Random Assignment Comparative Studies Descriptive Statistics Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design NIH Stroke Scale Questionnaires Scales Exploratory Research Protocols Range of Motion Kruskal-Wallis Test Post Hoc Analysis Mann-Whitney U Test Friedman Test Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test Academic Medical Centers Single-Blind Studies Analysis of Covariance Parametric Statistics Data Analysis Software Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Aged: 65+ years Female Male ab: Background and Purpose: Upper limb motor impairment after stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability. This single-center pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) combined with task-oriented training (TOT) for upper limb rehabilitation. iTBS, a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, may enhance recovery when paired with task-oriented training (TOT), particularly in the subacute phase of heightened neuroplasticity. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with subacute stroke were randomized into three groups: (1) iTBS + TOT (n = 10), (2) sham iTBS + TOT (n = 9), and (3) traditional physiotherapy (n = 10). All underwent a 4-week intervention. Primary outcomes were safety and feasibility. Secondary outcomes included motor impairment (Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity, FMA-UE), functional independence (Modified Barthel Index, MBI), and neurological deficit (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS), assessed at baseline, week 2, and week 4. Results: Twenty-nine participants completed the trial without any adverse events, and one participant from Group 2 discontinued early due to discharge. At week 4, the iTBS + TOT group showed greater improvements in FMA-UE (22.9 points vs. 3.6 and 10.2; p = 0.013; p = 0.013), NIHSS (3.0 vs 6.6; p = 0.009), and MBI (90.7 vs 51.4; p < 0.001) compared with controls, indicating potential functional benefits. Conclusions: This exploratory pilot RCT suggests that combining iTBS with TOT is safe and feasible, with preliminary evidence supporting its potential to improve upper limb recovery in subacute stroke. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution and validated in larger, adequately powered trials. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts randomized controlled trial Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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