Effects of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation on Manual Dexterity and Motor Imagery in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study
نویسندگان
1 Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran
2 Psychosomatic Department, Taleghani Hospital , Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
3 Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran
4 Neurology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran
5 Modeling in Health Research Center Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IR Iran
doi
چکیده
Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocol thatinfluences cortical excitability and motor function recovery.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of iTBS on manual dexterity and hand motor imagery in multiple sclerosis(MS) patients.Methods: Thirty-six MS patients were non-randomly assigned into sham (control) or iTBS groups. Then, iTBS was delivered to theprimary motor cortex for ten days over two consecutive weeks. The patients’ manual dexterity was assessed using the nine-holepeg test (9HPT) and the Box and Block Test (BBT), while the hand motor imagery was assessed with the hand mental rotation task(HMRT).Results: iTBS group showed a reduction in the time required to complete the 9HPT (mean difference = -3.05, P = 0.002), and anincrease in the number of blocks transferred in one minute in the BBT (mean difference = 8.9, P = 0.001) when compared to thecontrol group. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the reaction time (P = 0.761)and response accuracy rate (P = 0.482) in the HMRT.Conclusions: When iTBS was applied over the primary motor cortex, it significantly improved manual dexterity, but had no significanteffect on the hand motor imagery ability in MS patients.
