Reliability of motor cortex transcranial magnetic stimulation in four muscle representations.
OBJECTIVE
Motor cortex plasticity may underlie motor recovery after stroke. Numerous studies have used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate motor system plasticity. However, research on the reliability of TMS measures of motor cortex organization and excitability is limited. We sought to test the reliability of these TMS measurements.


METHODS
Twenty healthy volunteers were tested twice over a two-week period using TMS to determine motor threshold, map topography, and stimulus-response curves for first dorsal interosseous (FDI), abductor pollicis brevis (APB), extensor digitorum communis (EDC), and flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscles.


RESULTS
We found moderate to good test-retest reliability TMS measurements of motor threshold (ICC=0.90-0.97), map area (ICC=0.63-0.86) and location (ICC=0.69-0.86), and stimulus-response curves (ICC=0.60-0.83).


CONCLUSIONS
TMS assessments of motor representation size, location, and excitability are generally reliable measures, although their reliability may vary according to the muscle under investigation.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that TMS measurements of motor cortex function are reliable enough to be potentially useful in investigation of motor system plasticity.
Malcolm
M P
MP
Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. malcom2@cahs.colostate.edu
Triggs
W J
WJ
Light
K E
KE
Shechtman
O
O
Khandekar
G
G
Gonzalez Rothi
L J
LJ
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004056:Differential Threshold / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation