Inefficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease Patients with Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesias: Results from a Pilot Study

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) presents a significant challenge due to its wide range of motor, non-motor, and treatment-related symptoms. Non-invasive interventions like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are being explored for potential therapeutic benefits. This study aimed to assess i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomedicines Vol. 13; no. 7; p. 1663
Main Authors: Medrano-Hernández, Alma, Neri-Nani, Gabriel, Rodríguez-Violante, Mayela, Drucker-Colín, René, Chavarría, Anahí
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 08.07.2025
MDPI
Subjects:
Autonomic nervous system
Care and treatment
Causes of
Cognition
Communication
Complications and side effects
Cortex (motor)
Deep brain stimulation
Disease
Dopa
Dyskinesia
Levodopa
levodopa-induced dyskinesia
Magnetic brain stimulation
Magnetic fields
Medical treatment
Movement disorders
Neurodegenerative diseases
Normal distribution
Parkinson's disease
Patient outcomes
Patients
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Statistical analysis
Sweating
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Variables
Mexico
United Kingdom > UK
levodopa-induced dyskinesia
Parkinson’s disease
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
ISSN:2227-9059, 2227-9059
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) presents a significant challenge due to its wide range of motor, non-motor, and treatment-related symptoms. Non-invasive interventions like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are being explored for potential therapeutic benefits. This study aimed to assess if a high-frequency repetitive TMS protocol (HF-rTMS) consisting of 10 trains of 100 pulses of rTMS at 25 Hz over the motor cortex (M1) at 80% of the resting motor threshold could be effective in treating motor or non-motor symptoms in patients with PD with levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Methods: A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial was conducted with eleven PD patients. Nine patients received HF-rTMS, while two received sham stimulation. Patients were exhaustively evaluated using validated clinical scales to assess motor and non-motor symptoms. The study followed a rigorous protocol to avoid bias, with assessments conducted by a neurologist specialized in single-blinded movement disorder. Results: The HF-rTMS group experienced a statistically significant slight worsening in both motor and non-motor symptoms, particularly in the mood/cognition and gastrointestinal domains. However, positive effects were observed in some non-motor symptoms, specifically reduced excessive sweating and weight. No adverse effects were reported. Conclusions: Although HF-rTMS did not produce significant motor improvements, its potential benefit on specific non-motor symptoms, such as autonomic regulation, warrants further investigation.
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ISSN:2227-9059
2227-9059
DOI:10.3390/biomedicines13071663