TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation on spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis
AU - Mori, F.
AU - Codecà, C.
AU - Kusayanagi, H.
AU - Monteleone, F.
AU - Boffa, L.
AU - Rimano, A.
AU - Bernardi, G.
AU - Koch, G.
AU - Centonze, D.
PY - 2010/2
Y1 - 2010/2
N2 - Background and purpose: Spasticity is a common disorder and a major cause of long-term disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to evaluate whether a recently developed repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol, the intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is effective in modulating lower limb spasticity in MS patients. Methods: Twenty MS patients were pseudorandomized to undergo a 2-week daily sessions of real or sham iTBS protocol. The H/M amplitude ratio of the Soleus H reflex, a reliable neurophysiological index of spinal excitability and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) for spasticity were evaluated by blinded raters before and after the stimulation protocols. Results: Patients receiving real iTBS showed a significant reduction of H/M amplitude ratio and MAS scores 1 week after the stimulation and persisting up to 2 weeks after the end of stimulation protocol. There were no significant effects for sham stimulation. Conclusions: These results show that iTBS, a safe, non-invasive, well-tolerated and feasible protocol, is a promising tool for the treatment of spasticity in MS.
AB - Background and purpose: Spasticity is a common disorder and a major cause of long-term disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to evaluate whether a recently developed repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol, the intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is effective in modulating lower limb spasticity in MS patients. Methods: Twenty MS patients were pseudorandomized to undergo a 2-week daily sessions of real or sham iTBS protocol. The H/M amplitude ratio of the Soleus H reflex, a reliable neurophysiological index of spinal excitability and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) for spasticity were evaluated by blinded raters before and after the stimulation protocols. Results: Patients receiving real iTBS showed a significant reduction of H/M amplitude ratio and MAS scores 1 week after the stimulation and persisting up to 2 weeks after the end of stimulation protocol. There were no significant effects for sham stimulation. Conclusions: These results show that iTBS, a safe, non-invasive, well-tolerated and feasible protocol, is a promising tool for the treatment of spasticity in MS.
KW - H reflex
KW - ITBS
KW - Motor-evoked potentials
KW - RTMS
KW - Stretch reflex
KW - Transcranial magnetic stimulation
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02806.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02806.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 19863647
AN - SCOPUS:74549134509
VL - 17
SP - 295
EP - 300
JO - European Journal of Neurology
JF - European Journal of Neurology
SN - 1351-5101
IS - 2
ER -