A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Motor Cortex on Lower Extremity Spasticity in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.

INTRODUCTION

Hereditary spastic paraplegia refers to a group of conditions characterized by a slow progression of spasticity in lower limbs resulting in gait abnormalities. Current treatment options have proven to be insufficient in terms of symptom alleviation. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on lower limb spasticity in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia.

METHODS

Eight patients were randomly assigned to receive either five sessions of active 5 Hz-rTMS ( n = 4) or sham rTMS ( n = 4). The primary outcome was a change in spasticity assessed by the modified Ashworth scale. Secondary outcomes were change in 10 m walking test, Fugl-Meyer assessment of lower extremity motor function, and quality-of-life short-form survey scores. Assessment of the outcomes was done before, upon completion, and 1 month after the intervention. We analyzed the data using repeated-measure analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Mean age of the participants was 38.5 (SD = 5.4) years, and 50% were women. Compared with sham rTMS, real rTMS was effective in decreasing modified Ashworth scale (rTMS × time: F [df = 2] = 7.44; P = 0.008). Real rTMS group had lower modified Ashworth scale scores at the end of rTMS sessions (estimate = -0.938; SE = 0.295; P = 0.019) and at the end of follow-up (estimate = -0.688; SE = 0.277; P = 0.048) compared with the sham rTMS group. Real and sham rTMS groups were not different in the secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is an effective method in reducing lower limb spasticity of patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia.