Demographic and clinical characteristics*
| Characteristic | iTBS (n = 15) | 5 Hz rTMS (n = 11) | Sham (n = 15) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 60.13 ± 14.1 | 57.45 ± 12.3 | 56.23 ± 12 | 0.77 |
| M/F, n | 11/4 | 9/2 | 13/2 | 0.65 |
| Education, yr | 11.27 ± 5.4 | 14 ± 2.8 | 13.64 ± 1.9 | 0.56 |
| Poststroke duration, mo | 18.47 ± 20.21 | 33.27 ± 26.4 | 38 ± 7.9 | 0.016† |
| Ischemic stroke/hemorrhagic stroke, n | 7/8 | 3/8 | 10/5 | 0.14 |
| Lesion site (cortex + subcortical, or subcortical), n | 11/4 | 10/1 | 12/3 | 0.31 |
| Anomic aphasia, n | 5 | < 5 | < 5 | 0.86 |
| Comorbidities, n | ||||
| Hypertension | 9 | < 5 | 10 | 0.29 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 5 | < 5 | < 5 | 0.23 |
| Dyslipidemia | < 5 | 0 | < 5 | 0.43 |
| RBANS scores | ||||
| Total | 73.7 ± 12.2 | 69.1 ± 10.9 | 65.3 ± 16.1 | 0.19 |
| Immediate memory | 73.1 ± 16.6 | 69.2 ± 20.0 | 61.3 ± 20.0 | 0.25 |
| Visuospatial ability | 98.9 ± 13.4 | 87.0 ± 13.9 | 82.9 ± 15.6 | 0.17 |
| Language | 70.1 ± 14.0 | 76.3 ± 4.8 | 63.3 ± 18.1 | 0.25 |
| Attention | 77.5 ± 19.1 | 70.1 ± 18.9 | 76.1 ± 20.8 | 0.52 |
| Delayed memory | 79.5 ± 18.8 | 75.1 ± 21.1 | 76.1 ± 20.8 | 0.86 |
| Beck Depression Inventory score | 14.5 ± 10.0 | 13.0 ± 13.2 | 9.2 ± 8.2 | 0.27 |
F = female; iTBS = intermittent theta burst stimulation; M = male; RBANS = Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status; rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
↵* Data are mean ± standard deviation unless otherwise specified. Populations of fewer than 5 people have been rounded to protect participant privacy.
↵† One-way analysis of variance for continuous data and a χ2 test, with significance levels set at p < 0.05. Post hoc analyses revealed significantly longer disease duration in the 5 Hz rTMS group at baseline (p = 0.016), which we used as an explanatory variable for intergroup comparison. Bonferroni correction: iTBS v. 5 Hz rTMS, Z = −3.776, p = 0.001.