Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Theta-burst rTMS Therapy on the Clinical and Cognitive Symptoms of Patients With Therapy Resistant Depression and Response Prediction With Neuroimaging Methods.

The primary aim of the study is to find the combination of neuroimaging-related markers, demographics, and clinical characteristics that predict the response of patients with therapy-resistant depression to theta-burst rTMS treatment. The secondary aim is to monitor the cognitive effects of TMS therapy.

Priming Effects of Ultra-high Frequency Quattro Pulse Transcranial Brain Stimulation Prior to Hand Motor Function Training in Children With Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP) leads to life-long impairment with a hemiparesis of the affected side of the body. Rehabilitation efforts combine evidence based methods such as constrained induced movement therapy (CIMT) or hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT) as well as training in daily life activities and psychological support in order to improve participation. It has been tried to enhance hand motor function trainings with non-invasive brain stimulation. However, evidence of this promising approach is limited. This might be due to a non-consideration of the individually different types of cortico-spinal projections to the paretic hand that demonstrated to be of highly relevant for the therapy of these children. Approximately one third of such patients control their paretic hands via crossed projections from the affected hemisphere (CONTRA), while one third uses ipsilateral projections from the contralesional hemisphere (IPSI). This study aims - for the first time - to enhance the effects of the training by priming the primary motor cortex (M1) of the paretic hand with a newly established high frequency quadri-pulse theta burst stimulation (qTBS) in a randomized, patient and evaluator blind, sham-controlled approach, for the first time taking the individual type of cortico-spinal reorganization (CONTRA vs IPSI) into account. This promising and neurophysiologically motivated approach is likely to ameliorate hand function in children with USCP.

Randomized Controlled Study of Optical 3D Navigated Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Achalasia.

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of achalasia in patients diagnosed with achalasia by comprehensive evaluation of clinical symptoms, HREM, and barium meal examination, optimize rTMS treatment parameters, and provide an effective and noninvasive new treatment strategy for achalasia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. To investigate the clinical efficacy of individualized treatment of achalasia with optical 3D navigation repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. 2. Optimize rTMS parameters to achieve the best clinical treatment. Participants will need to fill out the Eckardt score scale and SF-36 quality of life scale, undergo cranial T1 structural magnetic resonance for functional connectivity analysis, and select the brain region with the strongest positive functional connectivity to the DMV as the rTMS target. All patients were randomly divided into four groups: sham-rTMS group, 5Hz-rTMS group, 10Hz-rTMS group, and 30Hz-rTMS group, and each group received acute and chronic stimulation, respectively. In the acute stimulation stage, patients only need to do rTMS once, and HREM and HRV detection are given before and after rTMS (stimulation for 1s, interval for 4s, 10 pulses per second, receiving a total of 3000 pulses); in the chronic stimulation stage, patients receive 25 minutes of rTMS actual stimulation or sham stimulation each time, lasting for 20 times, which is completed within 30 days, and the actual stimulation parameters are the same as those of acute stimulation, and the sham stimulation coil is consistent with the appearance and sound of proper stimulation, but there is no substantial stimulation. High-definition esophageal manometry, timed barium meal, heart rate coefficient of variation, and serum neurotransmitters were performed before and after chronic stimulation. Finally, a weekly telephone follow-up was performed for 12 weeks, including Eckardt score and SF-36 quality of life scale.