Outcomes in spasticity after repetitive transcranial magnetic and transcranial direct current stimulations

Non-invasive brain stimulations mainly consist of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation exhib- its satisfactory outcomes in improving multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy-induced spasticity. By contrast, transcranial direct current stimulation has only been studied in post-stroke spasticity. To better validate the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulations in im- proving the spasticity post-stroke, more prospective cohort studies involving large sample sizes are needed.

Non-invasive brain stimulation to promote motor and functional recovery following spinal cord injury

We conducted a systematic review of studies using non-invasive brain stimulation（NIBS： repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation（r TMS） and transcranial direct current stimulation（t DCS）） as a research and clinical tool aimed at improving motor and functional recovery or spasticity in patients following spinal cord injury（SCI） under the assumption that if the residual corticospinal circuits could be stimulated appropriately, the changes might be accompanied by functional recovery or an improvement in spasticity. This review summarizes the literature on the changes induced by NIBS in the motor and functional recovery and spasticity control of the upper and lower extremities following SCI.

Modulation of brainstem reflexes induced by non-invasive brain stimulation: is there a future?

Kumru et al.(2019)have recently reported significant reduction of the R2 component of the trigeminal blink reflex following highfrequency(20 Hz)repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)over the vertex in both,healthy subjects and in patients with spinal cord injury(SCI)(Figure 1).The modulatory influence of non-invasive brain stimulation(NIBS)on brainstem reflexes has been only scarcely studied.