Effect of 1 Hz Low Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cerebral Activity and Recovery on Upper Limb Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 1 Hz low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on cerebral cortex activity and recovery of hand function in chronic stroke patients. It was evaluated by motor evoked potentials (MEPs) amplitude, latency, and MFT. In Results, rTMS group and neurorehabilitation training (NRT) group showed differences in MEPs amplitude, latency, and MFT before and after intervention (p < 0.05). and rTMS group showed significant differences in MEPs amplitude and MEPs latency compared to NRT group (p < 0.05), but both groups did not show significant differences (p < 0.05). These results suggest that rTMS and NRT in chronic stroke patients have positive changes in cerebral cortex activity, but 1 Hz rTMS is more effective in cerebral cortex activity than in NRT. However, for recovery of hand function in chronic stroke patients, motor learning considering neurophysiology and biomechanics as well as cerebral cortex activity is required.