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Modulation of corticomotor excitability by an I-wave intervention delivered during low-level voluntary contraction

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Abstract

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) interventions that modulate cortical plasticity may achieve a more functional benefit if combined with neuro-rehabilitation therapies. With a TMS protocol targeting I-wave dynamics, it is possible to deliver stimuli while a subject performs a motor task, and this may more effectively target functional networks related to the task. However, the efficacy of this intervention during a simple task such as a low-level voluntary contraction is not known. We delivered paired-pulse TMS at an inter-pulse interval (IPI) of 1.5 ms for 15 min while subjects performed a 10 ± 2.5% voluntary contraction of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle and made motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and short-interval intracortical facilitation (SICF) curve measurements. Pre-intervention SICF curves showed only a single peak at 1.3–1.5 ms IPI. During the intervention, MEP amplitude steadily increased (P < 0.001) to 137 ± 13% of its initial value. After the intervention, SICF curves were increased in amplitude (P < 0.001) and later peaks emerged at 2.8 and 4.3 ms IPIs. A control experiment, replacing paired-pulse stimulation with single-pulse stimulation showed no effect on MEP amplitude (P = 0.951). We conclude that the I-wave intervention can be administered concurrently with a simple motor task and that it acts by increasing trans-synaptic efficacy across a number of I-waves. The ability to perform a motor task simultaneously with a TMS intervention could confer a degree of specificity to the induced excitability changes and may be beneficial for functional neuro-rehabilitation programs built around motor learning and retraining.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, M518, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia

    B. I. Silbert, J. T. Gibbons, R. H. F. Cash, F. L. Mastaglia & G. W. Thickbroom

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  1. B. I. Silbert
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  2. J. T. Gibbons
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  3. R. H. F. Cash
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  4. F. L. Mastaglia
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  5. G. W. Thickbroom
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Correspondence to G. W. Thickbroom.

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Silbert, B.I., Gibbons, J.T., Cash, R.H.F. et al. Modulation of corticomotor excitability by an I-wave intervention delivered during low-level voluntary contraction. Exp Brain Res 208, 229–235 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-010-2473-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-010-2473-2

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