title: Test-retest reliability of single and paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation parameters in healthy subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the influence of different factors on test-retest reliability of frequently used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) parameters while controlling for potential confounders in healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  TMS was applied in 93 healthy volunteers (61% male) twice (mean retest interval of 34.0 ± 25.6 (SD) days) between 7 am and 2 pm by four investigators (sessions n investigator A=47, investigator B=95, investigator C=28, investigator D=16). Women were assessed in their follicular phase. Test stimulus (TS), resting motor threshold (RMT), short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF) and cortical silent period (SCP) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Good test-retest reliabilities were observed for TS (r=.880) and RMT (r=.826), moderate for visual and automated analyzed CSP durations (resp. r=.466, r=.486), and poor for ICF (r=-.159). Reliable change indexes are reported. Gender (e.g. automated CSP women: r=.538 vs. men: r=.422), re-test interval and method of CSP-analysis did not influence reliabilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a large sample of healthy volunteers we found good to moderate test-retest reliabilities in all but one TMS-parameter. Automated analysis of the CSP did not prove to be more reliable than visual determination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study contains analyses of re-test reliability in TMS considering several confounding factors. For the first time it presents reliable change indices for all frequently used TMS parameters.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter, J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: hermsen@med.uni-frankurt.de.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hermsen
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haag
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duddek
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balkenhol
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bugiel
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter, J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mylius
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Menzler
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center Hessen, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter, J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosenow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression / Q000502:physiology*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Automated cortical silent period; Cortical excitability; Gender; Hand muscle; Reliable change index (RCI); Retest interval