Unilateral cerebral palsy, also known as stroke (hemiplegia), is a common disease that results in the death of nerve cells as a result of blockage or bleeding of the vessels leading to the brain. When paralysis first occurs, it is immediately determined by imaging methods such as MRI and CT whether it is due to cerebral vascular occlusion or bleeding, and treatment is applied accordingly. No matter how early and well it is treated, mild or severe unilateral paralysis may occur due to the death of nerve cells in this type of cerebrovascular event. For this reason, unilateral paralysis due to stroke is one of the most important causes of disability all over the world and in our country.
Intensive research continues on new methods that can be used for the treatment of unilateral cerebral palsy. Some of these are applications directly aimed at the brain itself. Some treatments are rehabilitation approaches applied to paralyzed arms and legs. The most promising treatment among treatments applied directly to the brain is transcranial magnetic stimulation-TMS (brain magnetic stimulation) treatment.
TMS treatment involves the areas of the brain related to movement control with the help of a magnetic coil. It is based on stimulation. In this method, treatment is performed by stimulating the patient brain part or the healthy brain part at a certain frequency. Research has shown that during the recovery period of stroke, the healthy brain half suppresses the sick brain half, and therefore the weak brain half cannot produce movement in the arms and legs. In TMS treatment, it is possible to suppress the brain with low-frequency stimulation or activate the brain with high-frequency current. Based on this principle, the healing of the sick side is accelerated by suppressing the healthy side with low frequency stimulation or by stimulating the sick side with high frequency. In this way, movement can be achieved in the relevant paralyzed body part. In general, suppressing the healthy side is the more preferred TMS method. TMS treatment is performed in at least 10 sessions and approximately 1000-12000 stimulations are given in each treatment. In this way, movement is made much easier, especially in the paralyzed hand.
TMS treatment is also extremely effective in speech disorders known as aphasia, which are frequently seen in paralyzed patients. solid side With the treatment applied to the speech center, the fluent speech of these patients becomes fluent and naming objects becomes easier. When this treatment is combined with speech therapy, the results are much more successful. With TMS treatment, paralyzed patients can regain their speech much more easily.
With TMS treatment, certain brain parts are stimulated and persistent depression and denial syndromes (neglect), which are frequently seen in paralyzed patients and significantly hinder the rehabilitation process, are successfully treated. .
TMS is currently one of the most researched topics in medicine and has become a promising treatment for paralyzed patients. It is very likely that it will be used in other brain diseases in the near future.
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