Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation promote recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness? A randomized controlled trial.
NeuroImage. Clinical January 1, 2025 Zhenyu Liu, Shanshan Wu, Shuwei Wang et al. 7 citations
Patients with disorders of consciousness who received high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in addition to conventional therapy, were three times more likely to show improvement in consciousness level compared to those receiving only conventional therapy. The trial included 48 patients in a randomized controlled design. The stimulated group also showed better scores on a clinical global improvement scale and a reduction in a specific brain microstate (microstate E), suggesting the treatment may help restore balance among cerebral functional networks.