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Updated: May 28, 2026
Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Action Observation Training in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves movement-related cortical potentials in autism spectrum
Peter G Enticott1, Nicole J Rinehart, Bruce J Tonge
1Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University and The Alfred, The Alfred, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. peter.enticott@monash.edu
Background:
Motor impairments are common in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Electrophysiologic studies reveal abnormalities in the preparation of movement; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to key motor cortical sites may therefore be a useful technique for improving motor function in ASD.
Objective:
To examine whether rTMS can improve electrophysiologic and behavioral indices of motor activity.
Methods:
Eleven participants with ASD completed three sessions in which they were administered one of three rTMS conditions (left M1, supplementary motor area [SMA], sham) at 1 Hz for 15 minutes. Movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) were assessed before and after rTMS.
Results:
rTMS to the SMA was associated with a gradient increase to the early component of MRCPs, whereas rTMS to left M1 produced a stronger gradient in the late component.
Conclusions:
rTMS appears to improve movement-related electrophysiologic activity in ASD, perhaps through an influence on cortical inhibitory processes.
