title: Assessment of corticospinal excitability after traumatic spinal cord injury using MEP recruitment curves: a preliminary TMS study.
abstract: METHODS
  Transcranial magnetic stimulation study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To further investigate the corticospinal excitability changes after spinal cord injury (SCI), as assessed by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Merano (Italy) and Salzburg (Austria).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied resting motor threshold (RMT), motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and recruitment curve in five subjects with good recovery after traumatic incomplete cervical SCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RMT did not differ significantly between patients and controls, whereas the slope of MEP recruitment curve was significantly increased in the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This abnormal finding may represent an adaptive response after SCI. The impaired ability of the motor cortex to generate proper voluntary movement may be compensated by increasing spinal excitability. The easily performed measurement of MEP recruitment curve may provide a useful additional tool to improve the assessment and monitoring of motor cortical function in subjects with SCI. Increasing our knowledge of the corticospinal excitability changes in the functional recovery after SCI may also support the development of effective therapeutic strategies.
authors: 1] Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria [2] Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy [3] Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Nardone
authors: 1] Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria [2] Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Höller
authors: 1] Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria [2] Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Thomschewski
authors: 1] Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University, Salzburg, Austria [2] Department of Statistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors: A C
authors: AC
authors: Bathke
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors: A R
authors: AR
authors: Ellis
authors: Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: S M
authors: SM
authors: Golaszewski
authors: 1] Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy [2] Department of Neurological, Neuropsychological, Morphological and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Brigo
authors: 1] Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria [2] Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Trinka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066193:Cervical Cord / Q000293:injuries*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*