Active versus resting neuro-navigated robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation motor mapping

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) motor mapping assesses corticomotor excitability.
• Resting motor maps are standard, but active mapping during muscle contraction is less understood.
• Comparing resting and active maps is crucial for clinical and research applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between resting and active TMS motor map parameters.
• To explore how these maps correlate with motor performance.
• To utilize robotic TMS with neuro-navigation for precise mapping.

Main Methods:

• Robotic TMS and neuro-navigation were used for motor mapping of the first dorsal interosseous muscle.
• Twenty healthy participants underwent both resting and active mapping at 10% maximum voluntary contraction.
• Paired sample tests and Bland-Altman analysis compared map area, volume, and centrality.

Main Results:

• Active motor maps showed significantly larger area, volume, and hotspot magnitude than resting maps.
• Map centrality and hotspot locations were consistent between resting and active conditions.
• No significant correlation was found between motor map parameters and Purdue Pegboard Test performance.

Conclusions:

• Motor map size scales with muscle contraction, supporting previous research.
• Resting and active motor maps may represent distinct corticomotor system functions.
• Advanced analytical techniques could further elucidate the neurophysiology of different motor mapping approaches.