Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Synchronized with Motor Task Training for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

In our experiment, patients were be randomly assigned to three groups: online, offline and sham groups. if patients were able to induce MEPs, intensity of TMS will be 80% RMT; if not , inensity of TMS will be 70% of TMS output.

Inclusion criteria

• The patient is first diagnosed with stroke through neurological examination, CT or MRI scan.
• The vital signs are stable and there is a certain degree of upper limb motor dysfunction.
• The age is between 20 and 80 years old.
• The cognitive ability is not significantly affected and the patient can cooperate with various examinations and assessments, with a MMSE score ≥ 20 points.
• There are no serious complications (such as pneumonia, heart failure, urinary tract infection or malnutrition).
• There is no pathological condition that is a contraindication for TMS in the medical history (for example, patients with metal in the brain, such as aneurysm clips, patients with a cardiac pacemaker, pregnant women, or those with a history of epileptic seizures).
• The patient or guardian agrees to sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with severe heart, lung, liver, kidney diseases and malignant tumors;
• Those with a history of aphasia, severe cognitive impairment or mental illness;
• Patients who have had a history of epileptic seizures in the last month or are taking anti-epileptic drugs recently;
• Those with severe visual or hearing impairments, unable to communicate normally;
• People with metal implants, pacemakers, skull defects or other conditions that prevent them from undergoing TMS.