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Case Reports
. 2021 Oct 28;13(10):e19105.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.19105. eCollection 2021 Oct.

Changes in the Brain Connectome Following Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Stroke Rehabilitation

Affiliations
Case Reports

Changes in the Brain Connectome Following Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Stroke Rehabilitation

Jacky T Yeung et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising approach for post-stroke rehabilitation but there lacks a rationale strategy to plan, execute, and monitor treatment. We present a case of targeted rTMS using the Omniscient Infinitome software to devise targets for treatment in a post-stroke patient and describe the functional connectomic changes after treatment. A 19-year-old female with no medical history presented 19 months after suffering a left middle cerebral artery (MCA) superior division ischemic stroke, resulting in language impairment and diminished right upper extremity motor function. She underwent a resting-state MRI (rsMRI) with tractography and images were processed using the Omniscient Infinitome software. Analysis using the anomaly detection within the software enabled us to identify three targets for rTMS (left area 1, left area 45, and right area SFL). These areas were treated with 25 sessions of intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) over five days at 80% of motor threshold concomitantly with targeted physical therapy and speech therapy. At five months follow-up, her language and right upper extremity functions significantly improved. Her connectomic analysis revealed substantial neural changes, including normalization of the sensorimotor network, substantially thicker callosal fiber bundle connecting the two hemispheres, and increased cortical recruitment in her language network. We present the first description of robust connectomic alterations in a post-stroke patient following targeted rTMS treatment. Further studies on the use of rTMS with an emphasis on functional connectomics are warranted.

Keywords: connectome; neurorehabilitation; rehabilitation; stroke; tms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared financial relationships, which are detailed in the next section.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. T1-weighted MRI, axial (A) and coronal (B) views, demonstrates extensive cystic encephalomalacia and gliosis in the territory of the cortical branches of the superior division of the left MCA.
MCA: middle cerebral artery.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Omniscient Infinitome analysis of the stroke encompassing areas of the language network (A and B) and sensorimotor network (C and D).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Anomaly analysis of the language and sensorimotor networks.
The anomaly analysis is performed by comparing areas of the queried networks in the individual subject and their connections (number of tracts) with each other and comparing against data obtained from healthy individuals via a machine learning algorithm. The scale bar represents standard deviations with red and blue suggesting increased and decreased connectivity, respectively. Blacked-out matrices represent omitted data due to signal noise.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Functional connectome before and after the initial TMS treatment.
There was a noticeable increase in crossing fiber bundle (A and B) involved in the left sensorimotor network before (A) and after (B) rTMS treatment. There was an increase in the frontal cortical representations (red dotted circles) detected in the language before (C) and after (D) rTMS treatment. rTMS: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Figure 5
Figure 5. There was an overall increase in the UEFI through the course of the TMS treatments.
UEFI: upper extremity functional index.

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