Central motor conduction time: reproducibility and discomfort of different methods

Central motor conduction time, a useful measure for studying central motor pathways, is calculated by determining the difference between the latency of motor-evoked potentials and peripheral conduction time. The intraindividual trial-to-trial variability of central motor conduction time and the discomfort associated with three methods of measuring peripheral motor conduction time (F-wave latency, cervical magnetic stimulation, and cervical needle stimulation) were studied in 5 healthy subjects with the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation to elicit motor-evoked potentials. Central motor conduction time was calculated by using measurements, made on 3 separate days, from the same three muscles on each hand. A visual analog pain scale was used to determine the level of discomfort for each method. Intraindividual trial-to-trial variability of central motor conduction time was similar for all methods, with coefficients of variation of 13% for the F-wave latency, 15% for cervical magnetic stimulation, and 11% for cervical needle stimulation. The last method was significantly more painful than the other two methods; there was no significant difference in discomfort between the F-wave method and cervical magnetic stimulation. To assess peripheral motor conduction time, when determining central motor conduction time, either the F-wave method or cervical magnetic stimulation is preferable to cervical needle stimulation.