Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 263, Issues 2–3, 26 March 1999, Pages 113-116
Neuroscience Letters

Changes of intracortical inhibition during motor imagery in human subjects

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00120-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation with a conditioning-test paradigm was used to assess changes of cortico-cortical inhibition and facilitation during mental simulation of sequential finger movements in normal subjects. The cortico-cortical inhibition (at interstimulus interval, ISI, of 3 ms) was significantly reduced in the relaxed opponens pollicis (OP) muscle during motor imagery, regardless of the absolute size of the test motor evoked potential. The amount of cortico-cortical inhibition was similar to that observed during a mild voluntary contraction of the OP. No change of cortico-cortical facilitation was observed at the ISI of 12 ms. The data support the hypothesis that similar neural structures, including the primary motor cortex, are activated during both mental simulation and actual execution of motor activities.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Marco Schieppati (University of Genoa) for his helpful advice.

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