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Measuring Contralateral Silent Period Induced by Single-Pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Investigate M1 Corticospinal Inhibition
Published on: August 23, 2022
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Cortical silent period reflects individual differences in action stopping performance
Mario Paci1, Giulio Di Cosmo2, Mauro Gianni Perrucci2,3
1Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy. mario.paci@unich.it.
Scientific Reports
|July 27, 2021
Summary
Individuals with stronger neural inhibition in the motor cortex exhibit poorer behavioral response inhibition. Greater GABAB-mediated inhibition correlates with longer stop signal reaction times, impacting inhibitory control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Inhibitory control is crucial for regulating impulses and suppressing unwanted actions.
- The Stop Signal Task (SST) measures behavioral response inhibition via stop signal reaction time (SSRT).
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) probes neural inhibition, like the cortical silent period (CSP) in the primary motor cortex (M1), reflecting GABAB-mediated intracortical inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between neural markers of intracortical inhibition in M1 and behavioral response inhibition.
- To determine if individual differences in GABABergic-mediated inhibition influence inhibitory control capacities.
Main Methods:
- Assessed GABABergic-mediated inhibition using the duration of the cortical silent period (CSP) via TMS.
- Measured behavioral response inhibition using the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) from the Stop Signal Task.
- Analyzed the correlation between CSP duration and SSRT.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between CSP duration and SSRT.
- Individuals with longer CSP durations (greater GABABergic inhibition) exhibited longer SSRTs (poorer response inhibition).
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in GABABergic-mediated intracortical inhibition within M1 are associated with variations in behavioral response inhibition.
- Enhanced neural inhibition may correspond to diminished capacity for action stopping.
