Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation influences cognitive-motor dual-task performance in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled study.
Jingyi Zhao, Tingting Peng, Liru Liu and 7 others
PMID 40684180WHAT IT FOUND
3 days of active brain stimulation improved children's dual-task scores for counting and block transferring compared with sham.
It also lowered hand-task interference within the active group, but not more than sham.
Key findings
01Active rTMS improved dual-task counting scores more than sham on day 2 and day 3.
02Active rTMS improved dual-task block-transferring scores more than sham on day 2 and day 3.
03The dual-task cost for block transferring fell within the active group, but not more than sham.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 40 participants were analysed, and there was no follow-up after the 3-day intervention, so durability is unknown. Each task was assessed six times, so practice effects likely contributed to improvement in both groups. The sham group started with better single-task counting and better dual-task block and counting scores, which can make their room for improvement smaller. All children had mild motor and manual ability limitations, so the result may not apply to more disabled children. The study did not measure or control whether children prioritised the hand task or the counting task. The mechanism was not tested with brain imaging or physiological measures.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that rTMS is a proven treatment for children with cerebral palsy. The improvements were measured only immediately after 3 days, both groups improved with repeated testing, and the dual-task cost between-group result was not positive.