title: Asymmetric facilitation from repeated paired magnetic stimulation of human motor cortex.
abstract: Repeated stimulation of human motor cortex with pairs of magnetic pulses separated by 1.5 ms has been shown to increase the amplitude of the motor-evoked potentials in activated muscles, indicating a short-term plastic increase of corticospinal excitability. We show here that this increase is greater in the dominant than the nondominant motor cortex of right-handed participants. This finding is a direct demonstration that the potential for plastic synaptic change is greater in the dominant than the nondominant motor cortex and implies that a greater potential for reorganization within the dominant motor cortex is a mechanism of the greater dexterity of the dominant hand.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia. geoff@psy.uwa.edu.au
authors.forename: Geoffrey R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Gillooly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation