Effect of high‐frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over M1 for consciousness recovery after traumatic brain injury

Background The brain area stimulated during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment is important in altered states of consciousness. However, the functional contribution of the M1 region during the treatment of high‐frequency rTMS remains unclear. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the clinical [the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and the coma recovery scale‐revised (CRS‐R)] and neurophysiological (EEG reactivity and SSEP) responses in vegetative state (VS) patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI) before and after a protocol of high‐frequency rTMS over the M1 region. Methods Ninety‐nine patients in a VS following TBI were recruited so that their clinical and neurophysiological responses could be evaluated in this study. These patients were randomly allocated into three experimental groups: rTMS over the M1 region (test group; n = 33), rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (control group; n = 33) and placebo rTMS over the M1 region (placebo group; n = 33). Each rTMS treatment lasted 20 min and was carried out once a day. The duration of this protocol was a month with 20 treatments (5 times per week) occurring with that time. Results We found that the clinical and neurophysiological responses improved after treatment in the test, control, and placebo groups; the improvement was highest in the test group compared to that in the control and placebo groups. Conclusions Our results demonstrate an effective method of high‐frequency rTMS over the M1 region for consciousness recovery after severe brain injury.