Objective: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by a gradual decline in cognitive functions. Pharmacological treatment (PT) and repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) are recommended for the treatment of AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term results of single cure (1 time 10 sessions) and multi-cure(at least 2 times 10 sessions) in addition to PT on the course of the disease, cognition, behavior, mood and quality of life (QoL).
Material and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with AD aged 65 years and older. Participants were divided into single-cure rTMS group (n = 8), multi-cure rTMS group (n = 14) and control group (n = 6). In addition to PT, 20 Hz rTMS was applied on bilateral DLPFC as a single-cure and multicure. The control group received only PT. Neuropsychiatric Test Battery, Neuropsychometric Inventory (NPI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and AD-QoL Scale were used in the evaluations before and after treatment.
Results: After a mean follow-up of 24 months, cognitive loss was observed in all groups. Significant worsening was found in verbal memory, MiniMental State Test (MMST) and NPE in the control group; were observed in visual and verbal memory, MMST, and NPI in the single-cure rTMS group; and were observed in executive functions, verbal fluency, visual memory and NPI in the multi-cure rTMS group (P < ,05). Significant improvement was found in GDS in the multi-cure rTMS group (P < ,05). There were significant difference in verbal memory, NPI and GDS in favor of the multicure rTMS group (P < ,05).
Conclusion: In conclusion, in long-term follow-up, only multi-cure rTMS can reflect in the form of improvement in cognition due to improvement in mood.
Cite this article as: Şahin B, Doğan Özdamar F, Budak M, Hanoğlu L. The long-term effect of single-cure and multi-cure rTMS applied in addition to pharmacological treatment on cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease. Arch Health Sci Res. 8(3):196-204.