The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the feasibility and efficacy of 5Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to bilateral motor areas as an adjuvant intervention to task-specific body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) in individuals with subacute stroke.
Five individuals with a diagnosis of subacute stroke will be recruited and assigned to either high frequency or sham rTMS group.Both groups will receive a comprehensive assessment of their motor function, gait performance and neurophysiological function before the training. Both groups will then go through a 10 week (24 sessions) of gait training with body weight supported treadmill. For the high frequency rTMS group, they will receive 5 Hz rTMS applied to bilateral motor areas prior to each gait training session. For the sham rTMS group, they will receive a sham stimulation prior to the gait training sessions. All participants will receive another comprehensive assessment after the training concludes. The assessor will be blinded to the intervention.
