Efficacy and Safety of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Cerebellar Ataxia: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

• Published in: Cerebellum (London, England) England), 2024-02, Vol.23 (1), p.243-254
• Main Authors: Qiu, Yi-Tong, Chen, Yi, Tan, Hui-Xin, Su, Wei, Guo, Qi-Fan, Gao, Qiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ataxia; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cerebellar ataxia; Cerebellum; Magnetic fields; Mental disorders; Meta-analysis; Nervous system; Neurobiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Review; Reviews; Systematic review; Transcranial magnetic stimulation
• ISSN: 1473-4230; 1473-4222; 1473-4230
• DOI: 10.1007/s12311-022-01508-y

Cerebellar ataxia(CA) is defined as a degenerative disease of the nervous system. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been a promising treatment for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Hence, to find out whether cerebellar rTMS impacts CA as a potential therapy, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. Qualified studies through a systematic search were retrieved for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acknowledged databases. Review Manager 5.4 software was employed to synthesize the data. A total of seven studies were identified as eligible and included in the quantitative review. Comparing real and sham-rTMS interventions, the utilization of rTMS on cerebellum improved the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA) (SMD − 0.87, 95% CI − 1.41 to − 0.34; P  = 0.001; I 2  = 62%), the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) (SMD − 1.06, 95% CI − 1.47 to − 0.64; P