Imaging the effects of rTMS-induced cortical plasticity.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) paradigms are showing increasing promise as tools for neurorehabilitation in a variety of chronic neurological and psychiatric conditions. However, the mechanisms by which they modulate cortical activation are still not completely understood. In this review we summarize what non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques can tell us about the cortical effects of rTMS - from changes at a cellular level within the stimulated motor cortex, to modulating activation patterns within the wider motor network. We discuss how variation in these effects in stroke patients may inform our understanding of how rTMS could improve function in these patients.
Stagg
Charlotte J
CJ
Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB), Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. cstagg@fmrib.ox.ac.uk
O'Shea
Jacinta
J
Johansen-Berg
Heidi
H
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*