rTMS therapy performed at Bruyère, part of a national feasibility study looking to the future of recovery with non-invasive brain stimulation to help stroke patients optimize their rehabilitation
Stroke rehabilitation is an important part of recovery for post-stroke patients. Bruyère, which houses the only inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit of its kind in the Ottawa region, is looking to the future of recovery with non-invasive brain stimulation to help stroke patients optimize their rehabilitation.
Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), have shown promising potential therapeutic benefits for the recovery of movement and other functions after stroke. Rehabilitation exercises require many repetitions for the brain to regain abilities impacted by stroke, but rTMS can help to prepare the brain for rehabilitation and therapy, so patients get the most out of a session.
While rTMS therapy is already used to treat mood disorders, it is not yet approved for stroke recovery in Canada. Having definitive, large-scale clinical trials will be key to understanding the full benefits of the technology and lead to broader adoption of brain stimulation in stroke rehabilitation.
Jodi Edwards, PhD, Investigator at Bruyère Research Institute and Director of the Brain and Heart Nexus Research Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, is one of the principal investigators of the Canadian Platform for Trials in Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (CanStim), a national translational platform working to develop protocols for non-invasive brain stimulation research for stroke recovery.
Bruyère is one of CanStim's eight sites in a feasibility study for rTMS in stroke recovery, where eligible stroke patients are able to participate in a clinical trial that pairs rTMS therapy with a rehabilitation program designed to improve arm and hand function.
Gordon Bryant, a 75-year-old patient, completed the program in the spring of 2023, receiving 15 sessions of rTMS therapy followed by rehabilitation at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital. The brain stimulation was specifically targeted to the areas of his brain that controlled where his body was affected by stroke. He feels the experience was beneficial for his recovery.
Researchers are working to address barriers to translating research into clinical practice for the two most common non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Edwards is the lead author of recently published recommendations to help reduce the translational gap and provide a roadmap for integrating these techniques into clinical practice.
The recommendations were the result of a year-long five-stage consensus process involving international multidisciplinary experts and come at a time when advances in stroke recovery are vital. As the aging population rises, so does the number of Canadians who are at greater risk for stroke.
For Bruyère, rehabilitation and recovery research is centered on improving care and outcomes for patients. Given stroke is a leading cause of disability in Canada, stroke rehabilitation and recovery are an essential part of ensuring stroke survivors can return back to the community and have a good quality of life.