100 Section - Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Alleviates Post-Stroke Depression by Reprogramming Microglial Polarization and Suppressing Neuroinflammation

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

LL

Ling Li, MD

Postdoctoral Researcher
Southeast University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Objectives : Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a serious complication after a stroke, with neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation being a key pathogenic mechanism. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promise as a non-invasive treatment for PSD, yet its mechanism remains unclear.

Design:

This study aims to investigate whether rTMS alleviates PSD by reprogramming microglial polarization and suppressing neuroinflammation.

Results:

rTMS treatment significantly ameliorated depressive-like behaviors in PSD mice, as shown by increased sucrose preference and decreased immobility time in the FST and TST. Mechanistically, rTMS effectively reprogrammed microglial polarization in the hippocampus, by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype while promoting the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. This shift in microglial state was accompanied by a marked reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and an increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that rTMS alleviates post-stroke depression, and its therapeutic effect is mediated through reprogramming microglial polarization from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state, thereby suppressing neuroinflammation. This reveals a key immunomodulatory mechanism of rTMS and provides a promising therapeutic target for PSD.