Effects of treadmill exercise on transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced excitability to quadriceps after stroke.
OBJECTIVE
To determine characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced measures of central motor excitability to the paretic and nonparetic quadriceps muscles of chronic hemiparetic stroke patients in the context of a short-term, submaximal bout treadmill exercise.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Motor control and gait biomechanics laboratory.


METHODS
Convenience sample of 11 patients including cohorts of treadmill untrained (n=8) and trained (n=3) stroke patients with chronic hemiparetic gait.


METHODS
Short-term submaximal treadmill exercise.


METHODS
Thresholds, amplitudes and latencies of TMS-induced motor evoked potentials at vastus medialis in paretic and nonparetic lower extremities.


RESULTS
Baseline characteristics of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) show significantly higher motor thresholds, longer latencies, and reduced amplitudes on the paretic side. In cross-sectional comparisons a group of treadmill-trained patients had greater paretic MEP amplitude changes after treadmill exercise versus paretic MEP responses from a group of untrained patients.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that treadmill training for 3 months or more may alter responsiveness of the lower-extremity central motor pathways to a short-term treadmill stimulus.
Forrester
Larry W
LW
Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center Rehabilitation Research Service, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. lforrester@som.umaryland.edu
Hanley
Daniel F
DF
Macko
Richard F
RF
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation