Stroke patients may improve arm movements through magnetic brain stimulation: study

• comments
• 
• 

Severe stroke can often result in paralysis often occurring in only one side of the body. A study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers found that stimulating the brain may help improve the arm movements of a paralyzed stroke patient.

They found that sending the brain strong magnetic pulses via Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can help determine regions in the brain that can be used to move the paralyzed arm. According to Live Science, TMS only improved arm function but did not reverse the paralysis brought about by stroke.

The TMS may also improve motor function and can be used to stimulate another part of the brain to move the arm. The researchers are hopeful that through continuous TMS stimulation, the untapped regions of the brain can control the paralyzed arm.

For the study, Harrington looked at how TMS worked on 30 stroke patients with half having mild arm movement impairment and the other half having severe impairment. She and colleagues found that the group with severe paralysis had the most improvemd movement than the other group. It led them to the conclusion that there may be other brain regions that can be stimulated to help stroke patients regain or improve the use of their arms.

"Stimulating this area repeatedly may force the brain to use this latent area," said Rachael Harrington, PhD student at GUMC who presented the study. "Neurons that fire together wire together."

Harrington and colleagues believe that their research can be considered a prospect for stroke patients to have better chance at life post-paralysis. The new approach may also be helpful in standard occupational therapy where patients relearn how to perform basic daily tasks such as eating and drinking by themselves.

"Little research has looked at this severely impaired population-most is aimed at improving relatively mild movement impairments-and, as a consequence, no validated treatment is available to help those with the most severe disabilities," Harrington said.

"These findings offer promise that these patients may be able to gain function, independence and a better quality of life," Harrington said via PTP.

According to a report by Health Day, TMS is currently being used for drug-resistant depression. While the therapy is already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, it is still on its way to being approved as treatment for numerous brain disorders.