Original Study

Effectiveness of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3

Zhou, Menglu MD^*; Qiu, Mengqiu MD^†; Jin, Yi MD^‡; Li, Dan MD^§; Tao, Chenjuan MD^*; Lou, Danning MD^*; Hu, Zhouyao MD^‡; Wang, Yuchen MD^‡; You, Zhiyuan MD^‡; Shao, Yimeng MD^‡; Zhu, Yingying MD^‡; Qu, Mingyue MD^‡; Lu, Xiaodong MD, PhD^*

Author Information

From the ^*Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University

^†Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Linping District

^‡Medical College of Hangzhou Normal University; and

^§Translational Medicine Center, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Received for publication July 23, 2022; accepted February 26, 2023.

Reprints: Xiaodong Lu, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 126, Wenzhou Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 310015 (e-mail: [email protected]).

M.Z., M. Qiu, and Y. Jin contributed equally to this work.

Conflicts of interest and source of funding: The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures to report. This work was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Plan Projects of China (grant 2021KY894 and grant 2023KY962); and Hangzhou Medical Health Science and Technology Project(A20210501).

The Journal of ECT ():10.1097/YCT.0000000000000925, April 24, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000000925

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) on improvement of clinical symptoms in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3).

Methods

Sixteen SCA3 participants diagnosed by genetic testing were enrolled in this sham-controlled and double-blind trial. They received either a 2-week 10-Hz rTMS intervention or sham stimulation targeting the vermis and cerebellum. The Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale were completed at baseline and poststimulation.

Results

Compared with baseline, the HF-rTMS group demonstrated a significant improvement in the total Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (P < 0.0001) and the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale scores (P = 0.002). After 2-week treatment, the real group exhibited decreasing pattern in 3 subgroups, especially for limb kinetic function (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Short-term HF-rTMS treatment is a potentially promising and feasible tool for rehabilitation in patients with SCA3. Studies with long-term follow-up need to be carried out in the future and further need to assess gait, limb kinetic function, speech and oculomotor disorders.

Article Keywords

Keywords
HF-rTMS, International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, standard ataxia rating assessment

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Effectiveness of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3