Reproducibility of callosal effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with interhemispheric paired pulses

Neurosci Res. 2003 Jun;46(2):219-27. doi: 10.1016/s0168-0102(03)00060-9.

Abstract

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex of one hemisphere (conditioning stimulus (CS)) inhibits EMG responses evoked in distal hand muscles by a later magnetic stimulus given at an appropriate interval, over the opposite hemisphere (test stimulus (TS)). This effect is commonly attributed to an inhibition produced at cortical level via a transcallosal route. The present study assessed the reproducibility of the transcallosal inhibition effects in different sessions in healthy subjects. Within- and between-subject variability, relating to interhemispheric differences was also evaluated. A magnetic CS on one hemisphere effectively inhibited EMG responses of the abductor digiti minimi stimulated by a TS delivered over the opposite hemisphere in a range of intervals centered at 12 ms. Even though group effects were reproduced in separate sessions, the high between- and within-subject variability yielded low test-retest correlations. This differentiation forces the definition of reproducibility (or repeatability), as the replication of the same mean curves of EMG reduction, and of reliability, as the between- or within-subject correlations between values of specific EMG measures.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Conditioning, Psychological / physiology
  • Corpus Callosum / physiology*
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Electromyography
  • Evoked Potentials, Motor / physiology
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality*
  • Hand / innervation
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motor Cortex / physiology*
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiology
  • Neural Inhibition / physiology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation