Effect of cerebellum stimulation on cognitive recovery in patients with Alzheimer disease: A randomized clinical trial.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Evidence indicates that the cerebellum is involved in cognitive processing. However, the specific mechanisms through which the cerebellum repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) contributes to the cognitive state are unclear.

METHODS:

In the current randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 27 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were randomly allotted to one of the two groups: rTMS-real or rTMS-sham. We investigated the efficacy of a four-week treatment of bilateral cerebellum rTMS to promote cognitive recovery and alter specific cerebello-cerebral functional connectivity.

RESULTS:

The cerebellum rTMS significantly improves multi-domain cognitive functions, directly associated with the observed intrinsic functional connectivity between the cerebellum nodes and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial frontal cortex, and the cingulate cortex in the real rTMS group. In contrast, the sham stimulation showed no significant impact on the clinical improvements and the cerebello-cerebral connectivity.

CONCLUSION:

Our results depict that 5 Hz rTMS of the bilateral cerebellum is a promising, non-invasive treatment of cognitive dysfunction in AD patients. This cognitive improvement is accompanied by brain connectivity modulation and is consistent with the pathophysiological brain disconnection model in AD patients.

• Authors: Qun Yao, Fanyu Tang, Yingying Wang, Yixin Yan, Lin Dong, Tong Wang, Donglin Zhu, Minjie Tian, Xingjian Lin, Jingping Shi
• Journal: Brain stimulation (Brain Stimul) 2022 Jul-Aug Vol. 15 Issue 4 Pg. 910-920 ISSN: 1876-4754 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 35700915 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Alzheimer Disease
• Cerebellum
• Cognition (physiology)
• Cognitive Dysfunction (etiology, therapy)
• Humans
• Prefrontal Cortex
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (methods)
• Treatment Outcome