Audiovisual and magnetic brain stimulation in rehabilitation of post-stroke cognitive impairment (literature review)

Stroke is a pressing medical problem that causes signifi cant socio-economic losses. Post-stroke cognitive impairment negatively aff ects rehabilitation outcomes, increases the likelihood of recurrent stroke and premature death. In the management of post-stroke cognitive impairment, signifi cant attention is paid to the use of non-invasive physical brain stimulation – audiovisual stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct or alternating current electrical stimulation. The mechanism of audiovisual impact on the state of the brain is due to the formation of a dominant rhythm of electrocortical activity, the biological eff ects of weak magnetic fi elds are determined by chemical processes responsible for enzymatic DNA synthesis, which can stimulate processes of neuroplasticity in stroke patients and aff ect the cognitive functions. The most promising in the treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment are considered to be modern directions of TMS: high-frequency or low-frequency repetitive TMS (rTMS), intermittent theta pulse stimulation, which have demonstrated safety and eff ectiveness. In recent years, in the set of rehabilitation programs for the recovery of poststroke cognitive defi cit multimodal interventions have been widely used, including physical exercises, walking, cognitive and aerobic training.

The data presented in the review indicate that the inclusion of transcranial low- and high-intensity pulsed magnetic fi eld therapy, audiovisual stimulation of brain structures into rehabilitation programs for post-ischemic stroke patients contributes to the improvement of attention, speech, gnosis, delayed memory and orientation, and increases the functional level of the central nervous system.

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