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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
Published on: December 31, 2013
Neural circuits underlying motor facilitation during observation of implied motion
Carmen Concerto1, Mohomad Al Sawah2, Carmenrita Infortuna2
1a Department of Interprofessional Health Sciences & Health Administration , School of Health and Medical Sciences, Seton Hall University , NJ , USA .
Abstract:
In the present study we used single and paired-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to evaluate the effect of implied motion on primary motor cortex microcircuits. We found that observation of the implied motion of a static image increases MEP amplitude and reduces short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), without significant modulation of intracortical facilitation and sensory-motor integration. Our results add to the existing literature on the activation of the observation-execution matching system and describe a selective modulation of GABAergic cortical microcircuits during observation of implied motion.
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