title: Cortical excitability and neurology: insights into the pathophysiology.
abstract: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technique developed to non-invasively investigate the integrity of human motor corticospinal tracts. Over the last three decades, the use of stimulation paradigms including single-pulse TMS, paired-pulse TMS, repetitive TMS, and integration with EEG and functional imaging have been developed to facilitate measurement of cortical excitability.Through the use of these protocols, TMS has evolved in-to an excellent tool for measuring cortical excitability.TMS has high sensitivity in detecting subtle changes in cortical excitability, and therefore it is also a good measure of disturbances associated with brain disorders. In this review, we appraise the current literature on cortical excitability studies using TMS in neurological disorders.We begin with a brief overview of current TMS measures and then show how these have added to our understand-ing of the underlying mechanisms of brain disorders.
authors: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. badawyr@unimelb.edu.au
authors: Radwa A B
authors: RA
authors: Badawy
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Loetscher
authors: Richard A L
authors: RA
authors: Macdonell
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Brodtmann
mesh_terms: D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*
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