Mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation…

Cohort studyFrontiers in neurology· 2026

Mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves post-stroke constipation: a retrospective study with EEG biomarker analysis.

Jiansong Yu, Jingyuan Lin

Neurostimulation & InterventionalCohort studyTreatmentQ2IF 3.1

Mirror therapy, motor imagery, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation were linked to better post-stroke bowel function

Mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves post-stroke constipation: a retrospective study with EEG biomarker analysis.

Jiansong Yu, Jingyuan Lin

Frontiers in neurology · 2026

Background

Post-stroke constipation is prevalent after frontal lobe infarction and may reflect disrupted cortical-autonomic regulation.

Purpose

To evaluate whether mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves bowel function, and to explore associated cortical changes using EEG-derived event-related desynchronization (event-related desynchronization).

Methods

In this single-center retrospective study, 98 patients with frontal lobe infarction and Rome IV-defined constipation were analyzed.

n = 98 patients

Cohen's d 0.60-0.82

Results

Cohen's d 0.60-0.82

recovery of bowel control was meaningfully larger with these therapies

n = 98 patients

More results

Enhanced μ/β event-related desynchronization was observed only in the intervention group.

Event-related desynchronization changes correlated moderately with Wexner improvement ( r = 0.56).

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

Combined mirror therapy, motor imagery, and rTMS were associated with improved bowel function and increased task-related cortical activation.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

EEG-derived event-related desynchronization may serve as a candidate biomarker for bowel-focused neurorehabilitation.

Mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves post-stroke constipation: a retrospective study with EEG biomarker analysis.

Mirror therapy combined with defecation motor imagery and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves post-stroke constipation: a retrospective study with EEG biomarker analysis.

Related papers