Postexcitatory inhibition after transcranial magnetic single and double brain stimulation in Huntington's disease.
Postexcitatory inhibition (pI) was studied in 13 patients with different clinical forms of Huntington's disease (HD), using a transcranial magnetic single and double stimulation paradigm. We found pathological results of pI in 77% of the HD patients. A significant prolongation of pI could be demonstrated in the group of patients suffering from a classical form of HD. In contrast to these patients, those patients suffering from primary rigid HD variants exhibited a shortening of pI. These results suggest an altered excitability of the motor cortex in HD according to dysfunctions within the motor cortex-basal ganglia loop. Transcranial double stimulation was a more sensitive measure in detecting changes of cortical excitation levels than single stimulation. The interpretation of pI changes in HD has to take the clinical subtype of HD into account.
Tegenthoff
M
M
Department of Neurology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.
Vorgerd
M
M
Juskowiak
F
F
Roos
V
V
Malin
J P
JP
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*