scholarly journals Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Handwriting in Parkinson’s Disease

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bubblepreet K. Randhawa ◽  
Becky G. Farley ◽  
Lara A. Boyd

Background. Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by hypometric movements resulting from loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. PD leads to decreased activation of the supplementary motor area (SMA); the net result of these changes is a poverty of movement. The present study determined the impact of 5 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the SMA on a fine motor movement, handwriting (writing cursive “l”s), and on cortical excitability, in individuals with PD.Methods. In a cross-over design, ten individuals with PD were randomized to receive either 5 Hz or control stimulation over the SMA. Immediately following brain stimulation right handed writing was assessed.Results. 5 Hz stimulation increased vertical size of handwriting and diminished axial pressure. In addition, 5 Hz rTMS significantly decreased the threshold for excitability in the primary motor cortex.Conclusions. These data suggest that in the short term 5 Hz rTMS benefits functional fine motor task performance, perhaps by altering cortical excitability across a network of brain regions. Further, these data may provide the foundation for a larger investigation of the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation over the SMA in individuals with PD.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Kadono ◽  
Keigo Koguchi ◽  
Ken-ichi Okada ◽  
Koichi Hosomi ◽  
Motoki Hiraishi ◽  
...  

AbstractCentral poststroke pain (CPSP) develops after a stroke around the somatosensory pathway. CPSP is hypothesized to be caused by maladaptive reorganization between various brain regions. The treatment for CPSP has not been established; however, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the primary motor cortex has a clinical effect. To verify the functional reorganization hypothesis for CPSP development and rTMS therapeutic mechanism, we longitudinally pursued the structural and functional changes of the brain by using two male CPSP model monkeys (Macaca fuscata) developed by unilateral hemorrhage in the ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus. Application of rTMS to the ipsilesional primary motor cortex relieved the induced pain of the model monkeys. A tractography analysis revealed a decrease in the structural connectivity in the ipsilesional thalamocortical tract, and rTMS had no effect on the structural connectivity. A region of interest analysis using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed inappropriately strengthened functional connectivity between the ipsilesional mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus and the amygdala, which are regions associated with emotion and memory, suggesting that this may be the cause of CPSP development. Moreover, rTMS normalizes this strengthened connectivity, which may be a possible therapeutic mechanism of rTMS for CPSP.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 1614-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrin M. Buetefisch ◽  
Benjamin Hines ◽  
Linda Shuster ◽  
Paola Pergami ◽  
Adam Mathes

The role of primary motor cortex (M1) in the control of voluntary movements is still unclear. In brain functional imaging studies of unilateral hand performance, bilateral M1 activation is inconsistently observed, and disruptions of M1 using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) lead to variable results in the hand motor performance. As the motor tasks differed qualitatively in these studies, it is conceivable that M1 contribution differs depending on the level of skillfulness. The objective of the present study was to determine whether M1 contribution to hand motor performance differed depending on the level of precision of the motor task. Here, we used low-frequency rTMS of left M1 to determine its effect on the performance of a pointing task that allows the parametric increase of the level of precision and thereby increase the level of required precision quantitatively. We found that low-frequency rTMS improved performance in both hands for the task with the highest demand on precision, whereas performance remained unchanged for the tasks with lower demands. These results suggest that the functional relevance of M1 activity for motor performance changes as a function of motor demand. The bilateral effect of rTMS to left M1 would also support the notion of M1 functions at a higher level in motor control by integrating afferent input from nonprimary motor areas.


2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 1578-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domenica Veniero ◽  
Claudio Maioli ◽  
Carlo Miniussi

It is generally accepted that low- and high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) induces changes in cortical excitability, but there is only indirect evidence of its effects despite a large number of studies employing different stimulation parameters. Typically the cortical modulations are inferred through indirect measurements, such as recording the change in electromyographic responses. Recently it has become possible to directly evaluate rTMS-induced changes at the cortical level using electronencephalography (EEG). The present study investigates the modulation induced by high-frequency rTMS via EEG by evaluating changes in the latency and amplitude of TMS-evoked responses. In this study, rTMS was applied to the left primary motor cortex (MI) in 16 participants while an EEG was simultaneously acquired from 29 scalp electrodes. The rTMS consisted of 40 trains at 20 Hz with 10 stimuli each (a total of 400 stimuli) that were delivered at the individual resting motor threshold. The on-line modulation induced by the high-frequency TMS was characterized by a sequence of EEG responses. Two of the rTMS-induced responses, P5 and N8, were specifically modulated according to the protocol. Their latency decreased from the first to the last TMS stimuli, while the amplitude values increased. These results provide the first direct, on-line evaluation of the effects of high-frequency TMS on EEG activity. In addition, the results provide a direct demonstration of cortical potentiation induced by rTMS in humans.


2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 002-006
Author(s):  
Lara Schrader ◽  
Sima Sadeghinejad ◽  
Jalleh Sadeghinejad ◽  
Movses Kazanchyan ◽  
Lisa Koski ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/objectives Optimal low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) parameters for treating epilepsy and other brain disorders are unknown. To address this question, a systematic study of the effects of LF-rTMS frequency and intensity on cortical excitability was performed. Methods Using a four-period crossover design, subjects were scheduled for four LF-rTMS sessions that were at least four weeks apart. LF-rTMS was delivered as 900 pulses directed at primary motor cortex using four protocols: 0.5 Hz at 90% resting motor threshold (RMT), 0.5 Hz at 110% RMT, 1 Hz at 90% RMT, and 1 Hz at 110% RMT. Motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, resting motor threshold (RMT), and cortical silent period (CSP) were measured before, immediately after, and 60 min after LF-rTMS. Each of the four protocols was analyzed separately to compare baseline measurements to those after LF-rTMS. Results None of the four LF-rTMS protocols produced a trend or significant change in MEP amplitude, RMT, or CSP. Conclusion The lack of significant effect from the four LF-rTMS protocols indicates that none produced evidence for alteration of cortical excitability. The direct comparison of four LF-rTMS protocols is distinct to this investigation, as most similar studies were exploratory and studied only one or two protocols. The negative result relates only to the methods used in this investigation and does not indicate that LF-rTMS does not alter cortical excitability with other parameters. These results may be useful when designing additional investigations into the effect of LF-rTMS on epilepsy, other disorders, and cortical excitability.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Qingmei Chen ◽  
Dan Shen ◽  
Haiwei Sun ◽  
Jun Ke ◽  
Hongxia Wang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The treatment for patients suffering from motor dysfunction following stroke using continuous repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has the potential to be beneficial for recovery. However, the impact of explicit results on the coupling of various rTMS protocols on motor treatment in patients following acute cerebral infarction remain unexplored. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to design a sham-controlled randomized report to explore the capability of consecutive suppressive-facilitatory rTMS method to increase the motor results following acute stroke. METHODS: A hundred ischemic stroke patients suffering from motor disorder were randomly assigned to obtain 4 week sessions of (1)10 Hz over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) and next 1 Hz over the contralesional M1; (2) contralesional sham stimulation and next ipsilesional real 10 Hz; (3) contralesional real 1 Hz rTMS and next ipsilesional sham stimulation; or (4) bilateral sham-control procedures. At 24 hours before and after the intervention, we obtained cortical excitability data from study subjects. At baseline, after treatment and 3 months follow up, we additionally evaluated patients with the clinical assessments. RESULTS: At post-intervention, group A showed greater motor improvements in FMA, FMA-UL, NIHSS, ADL and mRS values than group B, group C and group D, that were continued for at least 3 months after the completion of the treatment time. Specifically, it is shown in the cortical excitability study that the motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and resting motor threshold (rMT) more significantly improved in group A than other groups. The improvement in motor function and change in motor cortex excitability exhibit a significant correlation in the affected hemisphere. The combined 1 Hz and 10 Hz stimulation treatment showed a synergistic effect. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitatory rTMS and coupling inhibitory produced extra satisfactory results in facilitating the motor’s recovery in the subacute and acute phase following stroke compared to that acquired from alone single-course modulation.


Author(s):  
Laura Szucs-Bencze ◽  
Teodora Vekony ◽  
Orsolya Pesthy ◽  
Nikoletta Szabo ◽  
Zsigmond Tamas Kincses ◽  
...  

Sequence learning and statistical learning are key components of predictive processes and many cognitive, motor, and social skills. The Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) can measure this fundamental cognitive process in the visuomotor domain. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an increasingly used non-invasive brain stimulation method that can help us to determine the functional role of a given brain region. In this literature review, we systematically analyzed the eligible records (n = 17) that sought to modulate the performance on the SRTT with rTMS. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the effects of the following factors on SRTT performance: (1) stimulated brain areas, (2) rTMS protocols, (3) stimulated hemisphere, (4) timing of the stimulation, (5) SRTT sequence properties, and (6) other methodological features. We found that the two most promising target areas are the primary motor cortex (M1) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Low-frequency protocols over the M1 usually weakened performance, but the results are less consistent for the DLPFC. Our analysis of these six factors could help design future studies to modulate sequence learning by non-invasive brain stimulation.


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