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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Jun 12;99(24):e20439.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000020439.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with different frequencies on post-stroke aphasia: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Tiao Li  1   2 , Xiaoxiang Zeng  2 , Lijuan Lin  2 , Tingting Xian  2 , Zhuoming Chen  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with different frequencies on post-stroke aphasia: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Tiao Li et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Backgrounds: Previous studies indicated inconsistent results for the treatment effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on post-stroke aphasics. The study conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether the rTMS with different frequencies demonstrated any effect in patients with post-stroke aphasia.

Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, EMBASE, and Google Scholar) were searched for articles published before July 2019. Statistical analyses were made using STATA 12.0 software. Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the treatment effect of rTMS on post-stroke aphasia.

Results: Meta-analysis indicated significant treatment effects on naming of rTMS in post-stroke aphasics (SMD 0.76, 95%CI 0.16 to 1.36, I = 76.9%, P < .001). Subgroup analyses showed significant treatment effects on naming of low frequency (LF)-rTMS (SMD 0.40, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.69, I = 0.0%, P = .671). However, the changes in repetition and comprehension following stimulation were not significant.

Conclusions: In conclusion, we provide preliminary evidence that both LF-rTMS and high-frequency-rTMS might be relatively effective and safe treatment for post-stroke aphasics. However, LF-rTMS mainly plays a short-term role in subacute post-stroke aphasics. Longer-term and large-scale studies are essential to explore the effect of rTMS with different frequencies on post-stroke aphasia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plots of change in naming scores between post-stroke aphasics receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and those receiving sham stimulation. HF = high frequency, LF = low frequency, rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots of change in repetition scores between post-stroke aphasics receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and those receiving sham stimulation. HF = high frequency, LF = low frequency, rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plots of change in comprehension scores between post-stroke aphasics receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and those receiving sham stimulation. HF = high frequency, LF = low frequency, rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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