Submitted on April 2, 2008
Revised on May 27, 2008
Accepted on June 12, 2008
Interaction between finger opposition movements and aftereffects of 1Hz-rTMS on ipsilateral motor cortex
Laura Avanzino1, Marco Bove1, Andrea Tacchino1, Carlo Trompetto1, Carla Ogliastro1, and Giovanni Abbruzzese1*
1 University of Genoa
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: giabbr{at}unige.it.
1Hz-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (1Hz-rTMS) over ipsilateral motor cortex is able to modify up to 30 minutes the motor performance of repetitive finger opposition movements paced with a metronome at 2Hz. We investigated whether the long lasting rTMS effect on motor behaviour can be modulated by subsequent engagement of the contralateral sensorimotor system. Motor task was performed in different experimental conditions: immediately after rTMS, 30 minutes after rTMS or when real rTMS was substituted with sham rTMS. Subjects performing the motor task immediately after rTMS showed modifications in motor behaviour up to 30 minutes after rTMS. On the other hand, when real rTMS was substituted with sham stimulation or when subjects performed the motor task 30 minutes after the rTMS session, the effect was no longer present. These findings suggest that the combination of ipsilateral 1Hz-rTMS and voluntary movement is crucial to endure the effect of rTMS on the movement itself probably acting on synaptic plasticity-like mechanism. This finding might provide some useful hints for neurorehabilitation protocols.
