Transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with cerebellar stroke

Conduction time of the central motor pathways (CMCT) by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was performed within the first two weeks in 7 patients with isolated hemicerebellar lesions after stroke. Cerebellar infarcts were small (< 2 cm in diameter) in 5 patients and no brainstem structure was involved in CT studies. The threshold (3 cases) and CMCT (4 cases) were abnormal or asymmetric by stimulation of the motor cortex contralateral to the impaired hemicerebellum. The follow-up study in 2 patients revealed electrophysiological improvement closely related to clinical cerebellar recovery rate. CMCT was significantly longer by cortex stimulation contralateral to the impaired hemicerebellum than by ipsilateral stimulation. Prolonged CMCT was significantly correlated with the rated severity of cerebellar signs. Increased threshold may be due to depressed facilitating action of the deep cerebellar nuclei on contralateral motor cortex. Abnormal CMCT might result in reduced size and increased dispersion of the efferent volleys. Recovery of electrophysiological results could represent in part true potentially reversible functional deficit. Whichever the pathophysiological mechanisms involved, our results demonstrate that the cerebellum dysfunction plays a role in the abnormalities of CMCT elicited by TMS.