Published September 18, 2026, this study compared one pulse-count-matched session of 5 Hz high-frequency rTMS with 25 Hz peripheral magnetic stimulation in 57 people with unilateral stroke. fNIRS measured motor-task cortical responses immediately before and after 1,500 pulses.
What the researchers found The two approaches produced different short-term hemodynamic patterns. A disease-duration-adjusted frontopolar response-dispersion interaction was significant. Several connectivity changes were exploratory, and none remained significant after false-discovery-rate correction.
How to read the result This was an acute physiological comparison, not proof of rehabilitation benefit. The accessible abstract does not establish randomization, masking or sham control, and it reports no functional recovery or lasting outcome.
Why it matters Directly comparing central and peripheral stimulation with the same pulse count may help researchers separate how each approach engages post-stroke networks and design more informative rehabilitation trials.
Source and disclosure Peer-reviewed study; authoritative abstract checked. Funding, competing interests and device models were not available in the checked record. Prepared with AI assistance and source-checked September 20, 2026.