Oscillatory beta activity mediates neuroplastic effects of motor cortex stimulation in humans

Abstract

Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) is a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol that can inhibithumanmotor cortex (M1) excitability and impair movement for ≤1 h. While offering valuable insights into brain function and potential therapeutic benefits, these neuroplastic effects are highly variable between individuals. The source of this variability, and the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying the inhibitory after-effects, are largely unknown. In this regard, oscillatory activity at beta frequency (15-35 Hz) is of particular interest as it is elevated in motor disorders such as Parkinson's disease and modulated during the generation of movements. Here, we used a source-level magnetoencephalography approach to investigate the hypothesis that the presence of neuroplastic effects following cTBS is associated with concurrent changes in oscillatory M1 beta activity. M1 cortices were localized with a synthetic aperture magnetometry beamforming analysis of visually cued index finger movements. Virtual electrode analysis was used to reconstruct the spontaneous and movement-related oscillatory activity in bilateral M1 cortices, before and from 10 to 45 min after cTBS. We demonstrate that 40 s of cTBS applied over left M1 reduced corticospinal excitability in the right index finger of 8/16 participants. In these responder participants only, cTBS increased the power of the spontaneous beta oscillations in stimulated M1 and delayed reaction times in the contralateral index finger. No further changes were observed in the latency or power of movement-related beta oscillations. These data provide insights into the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying cTBS-mediated impairment of motor function and demonstrate the association between spontaneous oscillatory beta activity in M1 and the inhibition of motor function. © 2013 the authors.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5624-12.2013
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
College of Health & Life Sciences > Aston Institute of Health & Neurodevelopment (AIHN)
College of Health & Life Sciences > Clinical and Systems Neuroscience
College of Health & Life Sciences > Aston Pharmacy School
College of Health & Life Sciences
Additional Information: This article is freely available online through the J Neurosci Author Open Choice option. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Funding: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing; RCUK fellowship; Wellcome Trust; Dr. Hadwen Trust for Humane Research
Uncontrolled Keywords: motor cortex,beta-band oscillations,transcranial magnetic stimulation,theta burst stimulation,cortical inhibition,human,motor control,corticospinal excitability,Neuroscience(all)
Publication ISSN: 1529-2401
Last Modified: 08 Mar 2024 08:08
Date Deposited: 17 Sep 2013 10:36
Full Text Link: http://www.jneu ... tent/33/18/7919
Related URLs: http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2013-05-01
Authors: McAllister, Craig J.
Rönnqvist, Kim C.
Stanford, Ian M. (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-5677-8538)
Woodhall, Gavin L. (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-1281-9008)
Furlong, Paul L. (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-9840-8586)
Hall, Stephen D.

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