Xin Wen

Previous studies have shown that intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) can promote the recovery of swallowing function in stroke patients. However, the therapeutic mechanism is not well understood. No study has elucidated the swallowing mechanism of iTBS and its cortical excitability changes in controlled healthy samples. Changes in cortical excitability can reflect the improvement of swallowing function. The purpose of this study was to observe the activation of the cerebral cortex during voluntary swallowing in healthy adults and to investigate the direct effect of cerebellar iTBS on the excitability of the pharyngeal motor cortex, to explore further the potential mechanisms by which cerebellar iTBS improves swallowing function. Thirty healthy subjects were recruited for this study and randomized to left and right cerebellar iTBS stimulation. The order of stimulation of the left and right cerebellum was randomized, and the stimulation interval was approximately one week. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess brain activation before and after iTBS stimulation and the parameter “β-value.” fNIRS was paradigmatized as a classical block task, and the whole procedure consisted of three identical blocks, each consisting of a 30-s swallowing task and a 30-s rest period. Bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG), middle temporal gyrus (MTG), primary motor cortex (PMC), pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PSMC), primary somatosensory cortex (PSC), pars triangularis (PTG), frontopolar area (FPA), frontal eye fields (FEF), and dorsolateral prefrontal area (DLPFC)were significantly activated during the performance of a voluntary swallowing task. Compared with pre-stimulation, the beta values significantly increased in channels 5 (P = 0.013), 17 (P = 0.025), 18 (P = 0.027), 19 (P = 0.046), 34 (P = 0.045), and 37(P = 0.045) after left cerebellar stimulation; After cerebellar right side stimulation, the beta values significantly increased in channels 3 (P = 0.043), 18 (P = 0.022), 20 (P = 0.047), 38 (P = 0.032), 46 (P = 0.028), and 48 (P = 0.028). Bilateral STG, MTG, PMC, PSMC, PSC, PTG, FPA, FEF, and DLPFC were involved in regulating volitional swallowing. Both iTBS to the left and right cerebellum significantly increased the excitability of swallowing cortical areas under a swallowing-specific task.

Background: Dysphagia is one of the major post‐stroke complications, understanding post‐stroke changes in cortical excitability and promoting early remodeling of swallowing‐related cortical areas to enable accurate treatment is essential for recovery of patients.Objectives: We aimed to investigate hemodynamic signal changes and functional connectivity in acute stroke patients with dysphagia compared to age‐matched healthy participants in response to volitional swallowing using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in this pilot study.Methods: Patients with first‐ever post‐stroke dysphagia having an onset of 1–4 weeks and age‐matched right‐handed healthy subjects were recruited in our study. fNIRS with 47 channels was utilized to detect the oxyhemoglobin (HbO₂) and reduced hemoglobin (HbR) concentration changes when volitional swallowing. Cohort analysis was performed by a one‐sample t‐test. Two‐sample t‐test was utilized to compare the difference in cortical activation between patients with post‐stroke dysphagia and healthy subjects. Furthermore, the relative changes in the concentration of the HbO₂ throughout the experimental procedure were extracted for the functional connectivity analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficients of the HbO₂ concentration of each channel were analyzed on a time series, and then a Fisher Z transformation was then performed, and the transformed values were defined as the functional connection strengths between the channels.Results: In this present study, a total of nine patients with acute post‐stroke dysphagia were enrolled in the patient group and nine age‐matched healthy participants in the healthy control group. Our study observed that the extensive regions of the cerebral cortex were activated in the healthy control group, while the activation area of patient group's cortical regions was quite limited. The mean functional connectivity strength of participants was 0.485 ± 0.105 in the healthy control group, and 0.252 ± 0.146 in the patient group, with a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.001).Conclusion: Compared to the healthy individuals, cerebral cortex regions of acute stroke patients were only marginally activated during volitional swallowing task, and the average functional connectivity strength of cortical network in patients was relatively weaker.

Background. Rehabilitation of upper extremity hemiplegia after stroke remains a great clinical challenge, with only 20% of patients achieving a basic return to normal hand function. How to promote the recovery of motor function at an early stage is crucial to the life of the patient. Objectives. To invest the effects of additional mirror therapy in improving upper limb motor function and activities of daily living in acute and subacute stroke patients, and further explore the effects of other factors on the efficacy of MT. Methods. Participants who presented with unilateral upper extremity paralysis due to a first ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were included in the study. They were randomly allocated to the experimental or control group. Patients in the control group received occupational therapy for 30 minutes each session, six times a week, for three weeks, while patients in the experimental group received 30 minutes of additional mirror therapy based on occupational therapy. The primary outcome measures were Fugl-Meyer Assessment—upper extremity (FMA-UE), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) which were evaluated by two independent occupational therapists before treatment and after 3-week treatment. A paired -test was used to compare the values between pretreatment and posttreatment within an individual group. Two-sample -test was utilized to compare the changes (baseline to postintervention) between the two groups. Results. A total of 52 stroke patients with unilateral upper extremity motor dysfunction who were able to actively cooperate with the training were included in this study. At baseline, no significant differences were found between groups regarding demographic and clinical characteristics ( for all). Upper limb motor function and ability to perform activities of daily living of the patients were statistically improved in both groups towards the third week ( ). In addition, statistical analyses showed more significant improvements in the score changes of FMA-UE and IADL in the experimental group compared to the control group after treatment ( ), but no significant difference was observed in the ARAT score changes between the two groups ( ). The subgroup analysis showed that no significant heterogeneity was observed in age, stroke type, lesion side, and clinical stage ( ). Conclusion. In conclusion, some positive changes in aspects of upper limb motor function and the ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living compared with routine occupational therapy were observed in additional mirror therapy. Therefore, the application of additional mirror therapy training should be reconsidered to improve upper extremity motor in stroke patients.

Either effortful swallowing exercise or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is considered as an effective method to treat dysphagia after stroke. Thus, synchronizing these two interventions may improve the efficiency of treatment. This trial intended to explore the effects of rTMS and effortful swallowing exercise on the recovery of swallowing function in patients after stroke. A total of 56 patients with post-stroke dysphagia who were able to actively cooperate with the training were analyzed in this study. We experimented with different intervention effects of rTMS synchronization with effortful swallowing training (group 1), rTMS (group 2), and traditional swallowing training alone (group 3). Every patient completed conventional swallowing training 5 days a week for 2 weeks. Patients in group 1 and group 2 underwent 10 consecutive sessions of 5 Hz rTMS over the affected mylohyoid cortical region. Fiberoptic endoscopic dysphagia severity scale (FEDSS), penetration/aspiration scale (PAS), standardized swallowing assessment (SSA), and functional oral intake scale (FOIS) were assessed and compared across the groups. No significant difference in FEDSS, PAS, SSA, or FOIS scores was found at baseline among the three groups. The mean change values of the FEDSS score, PAS score, SSA score, and FOIS score between baseline and post-intervention of the three groups (H = 16.05, P < 0.001; H = 21.70, P < 0.001; F (2, 53) = 9.68, P < 0.001; H = 18.26, P < 0.001; respectively) were statistically significant. In addition, the mean change values of FEDSS, PAS, SSA, and FOIS scores in participants in group 1 (all P < 0.001) and group 2 (P = 0.046; P = 0.045; P = 0.028; P = 0.032; respectively) were significantly higher than in group 3. Similarly, the mean change values of FEDSS, PAS, SSA, and FOIS scores were significantly higher in participants in group 1 than in group 2 (P = 0.046; P = 0.038; P = 0.042; P = 0.044; respectively). The results revealed that the conjunction of rTMS and effortful swallowing training was an effective method to facilitate the recovery of swallowing function in stroke patients. The present clinical trial provided a new treatment method for the functional restoration of swallowing in stroke patients, which may further facilitate the recovery of swallowing function in stroke patients with swallowing disorders.

Background. Disorder of consciousness (DoC) is a clinical condition caused by severe brain damage. Some studies have reported that acupuncture, a traditional Chinese treatment, could facilitate the recovery of the patients consciousness. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture may be due to its modulation of facilitating cortex (PFC) activity, but it has not been greatly demonstrated. Objectives. We intended to observe the effects of acupuncture on prefrontal cortical activity, explore the potential correlation between cortical activation and the severity of DoC, and analyze the functional brain network connectivity to provide a theoretical basis for its application in clinical practice. Methods. Participants diagnosed with DoC were included in the study. Before the intervention, we assessed the patients state of consciousness using relevant scales, such as the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R). All patients received acupuncture manipulation with the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system monitored. Result. A total of 16 subjects participated in our study. We observed that the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) in the PFC was increased during the acupuncture manipulation and declined during the resting state. Then, the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex was generally higher than that of the right. Finally, we observed only a weak difference in hemodynamic responses of PFC between the vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) groups. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Our results indicated that acupuncture can increase the concentration of HbO in the PFC and strengthen the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex. However, our present study did not find a significant correlation between the cortical hemodynamic response and the severity of DoC.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of peripheral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of idiopathic facial paralysis, to explore an ideal treatment scheme for idiopathic facial paralysis, and to provide evidence for clinical rehabilitation. Methods. 65 patients with idiopathic facial nerve palsy with the first onset were recruited and randomly divided into rTMS group and control group. Both groups received conventional treatment, rTMS group received additional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the affected side once a day, 5 times a week for 2 weeks. House-Brackmann (HB) grading scale, Sunnybrook facial grading system (SFGS), and modified Portmann scale (MPS) were used to assess facial nerve function before and after treatment, and the time for patients to return to normal facial nerve function and adverse reaction (AR) was also the main observation index. Results. After a 2-week intervention, HB, SFGS, and MPS increased in both groups ( ); the improvement of HB, SFGS, and MPS in rTMS group was significantly higher than that in control group ( ). The effective improvement rate of the TMS group after 2 weeks was 90.0%, and that of the control group was 53.3%, and the difference was statistically significant ( ). Conclusions. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a safe and effective noninvasive method for the treatment of idiopathic facial paralysis, which can significantly accelerate the recovery of facial nerve function and provide a new treatment idea for further improving the prognosis of patients with idiopathic facial paralysis.