Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 296, Issue 1, 15 December 2000, Pages 21-24
Neuroscience Letters

Subthreshold 5-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the human primary motor cortex reduces intracortical paired-pulse inhibition

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(00)01616-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at short interstimulus intervals was employed to investigate short-term effects of 5-Hz repetitive TMS (rTMS) over the primary motor hand area (M1HAND) on intracortical excitability. In ten healthy individuals, 1250 pulses of 5-Hz rTMS were applied at 90% of motor resting threshold over the left M1HAND. Ten minutes after 5-Hz rTMS, paired-pulse inhibition was significantly reduced, whereas paired-pulse facilitation was not modified. Sham-rTMS had no lasting effect on intracortical excitability. These findings suggest that subthreshold 5-Hz rTMS causes a short-term modulation of the excitability of intracortical circuitry in the stimulated M1HAND. The lasting effect of subthreshold 5-Hz rTMS on intracortical inhibition provides a useful probe for studying short-term plasticity of the human M1HAND.

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