ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2025
Effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation of the left DLPFC on cognitive function and inflammatory markers in post-stroke cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of multiple acupuncture therapies on cognitive function and quality of life in stroke patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with computerized cognitive training improves global cognition and functional independence post-stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Molecular biomarkers of cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms after stroke in late-life-enriched cohorts: a scoping review.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) combined with cognitive training in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), and to investigate its effects on systemic inflammatory biomarkers: homocysteine (Hcy), C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Methods: In this single-center, randomized, sham-controlled trial, 69 PSCI patients received 4 weeks of daily cognitive training combined with either real iTBS (target: left DLPFC; 1200 pulses per session at 80 % of resting motor threshold, total 20 sessions) or sham stimulation. Assessments were conducted at baseline (week 0) and week 4, including measures of global cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE], Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]), executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB]), activities of daily living (Barthel Index [BI]), domain-specific cognitive subscores (forward/backward digit span [FDS/BDS], delayed recall, attention), and inflammatory biomarkers (Hcy, CRP, LDH). Data were analyzed using two-way mixed General Linear Models (GLM) to assess main and interaction effects of Time and Group. Results: Significant Time effects were observed for all cognitive and biochemical measures (p < 0.001), indicating overall improvement after intervention. Significant Time × Group interactions favored the iTBS group for MMSE, MoCA, BI, FDS, BDS (p < 0.05), suggesting enhanced gains in global cognition, executive function, and working memory. Serum LDH showed a greater reduction in the iTBS group (p < 0.05), while decreases in Hcy and CRP were comparable between groups. Correlation analysis revealed that reductions in LDH and Hcy were significantly associated with improvements in MMSE, MoCA, FAB, and working-memory subscores in the iTBS group (r = -0.334 to -0.525, p < 0.05), supporting a metabolic-cognitive coupling effect. Conclusions: iTBS applied to the left DLPFC, combined with cognitive training, produces superior improvements in global cognition, executive function, and daily living ability compared with cognitive training alone in PSCI patients. The concomitant reduction in LDH suggests potential anti-inflammatory or neuroprotective mechanisms underlying these cognitive benefits. LDH may thus serve as a sensitive peripheral biomarker for neuromodulation-induced recovery in PSCI rehabilitation. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR2300076109.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.