Structural correlates underlying accelerated magnetic stimulation in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique with great potential in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of accelerated rTMS and to understand the underlying neural mechanism. In a double-blinded way, a total of 42 patients with PD were randomized to receive real (n = 22) or sham (n = 20) continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) on the left supplementary motor area (SMA) for 14 consecutive days. Patients treated with real cTBS, but not with sham cTBS, showed a significant improvement in Part III of the Unified PD Rating Scale (p