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Related Experiment Videos

Assessment of cortical excitability using threshold tracking techniques.

Steve Vucic1, James Howells, Louise Trevillion

  • 1Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Barker Street, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.

Muscle & Nerve
|November 30, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Threshold tracking transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) reliably measures cortical excitability. This technique offers a feasible clinical tool for assessing neurophysiological function and aiding in neurodegenerative disease diagnosis.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Neurophysiology

Background:

  • Conventional paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for cortical excitability assessment is limited by motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude fluctuations.
  • A need exists for reliable and reproducible methods to assess cortical excitability in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the feasibility of threshold tracking TMS for assessing cortical excitability in a clinical setting.
  • To establish normative data for threshold tracking TMS.
  • To explore the potential of this technique in neurodegenerative disease research.

Main Methods:

  • Threshold tracking TMS was employed in 26 healthy controls.
  • Motor evoked potential (MEP) responses from the abductor pollicis brevis muscle were tracked.

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  • Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) were assessed at various interstimulus intervals (ISIs).

    • Main Results:

    • Threshold tracking TMS proved effective in reliably and reproducibly measuring cortical excitability.
    • Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) showed distinct peaks at ISIs of ≤1 ms and 3 ms, with facilitation up to 30 ms.
    • Long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) was observed between 50–300 ms, peaking at 150 ms.

    Conclusions:

    • Threshold tracking TMS is a viable and effective technique for assessing cortical excitability in a clinical environment.
    • This method provides reliable normative data.
    • Simultaneous assessment of upper and lower motor neuron function using threshold tracking TMS could aid in determining disease onset and progression in neurodegenerative conditions.