Therapeutic Effects of Theta Burst Stimulation on Cognition Following Brain Injury
Wan-Ting Chen1, Yi-Wei Yeh1, Shin-Chang Kuo1, Yi-Chih Shiao2,3,4, Chih-Chung Huang1, Yi-Guang Wang1, Chun-Yen Chen1
1Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
3Division of Occupational Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
4College of Law, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
Correspondence to: Chun-Yen Chen
Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Chenggong Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei 114, Taiwan
E-mail: cychenndmc@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8330-9569
Received: April 4, 2024; Revised: August 20, 2024; Accepted: September 5, 2024; Published online: October 10, 2024.
© The Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This case report explores the therapeutic potential of theta burst stimulation (TBS) for cognitive enhancement in individuals with brain injuries. The study presents a 38-year-old male suffering from an organic mental disorder attributed to a traumatic brain injury (TBI), who demonstrated notable cognitive improvements following an intensive TBS protocol targeting the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex. The treatment led to significant enhancements in impulse control, irritability, and verbal comprehension without adverse effects. Neuropsychological assessments and brain imaging post-intervention revealed improvements in short-term memory, abstract reasoning, list-generating fluency, and increased cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that TBS, by promoting neural plasticity and reconfiguring neural networks, offers a promising avenue for cognitive rehabilitation in TBI patients. Further research is warranted to optimize TBS protocols and understand the mechanisms underlying its cognitive benefits.
Keywords: Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Brain injuries; Cognition; Cerebral blood flow

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