172 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Post Concussive Syndrome Scores and DTI Metrics for Traumatic Brain Injury

INTRODUCTION: According to the CDC, there were approximately 214,110 TBI related hospitalizations in 2020, many continue to be burdened by post-concussive symptoms affecting many aspects of their lives. Current treatments involve symptomatic interventions only, thus a need to provide adequate treatment for long lasting concussion symptoms. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been shown to be effective in treating PTSD and depression in a Veterans Administration population. METHODS: Nineteen patients who were diagnosed with ongoing symptoms of PCS at least 3 months after injury underwent repetitive bifrontal TMS for a total of 50 sessions. Rivermead Post Concussive Questionnaire (RPQ) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) metrics were obtained before and after treatment. RESULTS: The average RPQ score for the pretreatment group was 32 while the post treatment group’s average RPQ score was 22. A paired T-test was used to analyze the difference in RPQ scores before and after treatment for each patient. The T-Test was significant (p<.05), indicating that there is a difference between the pre and post treatment concussion symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, TMS significantly decreased late RPQ score and improved DTI metrics, thus improving delayed post concussive syndrome symptoms.