Cortical excitability of psychiatric disorders: reduced post-exercise facilitation in depression compared to schizophrenia and controls.
OBJECTIVE
In normal subjects, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) produced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) from the motor cortex are increased after non-fatiguing exercise of hand muscles. This phenomenon is called post-exercise facilitation. This study aims to test the hypothesis that psychiatric syndromes (major depressive episode, schizophrenia) have different levels of post-exercise facilitation compared to controls.


METHODS
Patients with DSM-IV major depressive episode (six female, four male), schizophrenia (two female, nine male) and a control group (nine female, four male) participated. MEPs were elicited pre- and post-exercise from the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis by TMS over the primary motor cortex.


RESULTS
Post-exercise facilitation expressed as a percentage of baseline was 510% in controls, 110% in depression and 190% in schizophrenia. There were significant differences in patients with depression and schizophrenia compared to controls (p = 0.0001, p = 0.0008).


CONCLUSIONS
Post-exercise facilitation was reduced in depression and schizophrenia, suggesting impaired cortical excitability in these disorders. Further studies may discriminate between the two groups.
Reid
Philip D
PD
Department of Psychological Medidine, Royal Hobart Hospital, Liverpool Street, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia. philip.reid@dhhs.tas.gov.au
Daniels
Brett
B
Rybak
Marzena
M
Turnier-Shea
Yvonne
Y
Pridmore
Saxby
S
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis