Abstract.
The influence of proprioception on motorcortical excitability was assessed by muscle vibration (MV; 80 Hz, 0.5 mm amplitude) of the flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR) and compared to voluntary contraction and relaxation conditions. Motor thresholds, motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in response to single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the intracortical inhibition (ICI) and facilitation (ICF) after paired magnetic stimuli were studied. A control experiment using TMS inducing posteriorly directed current was performed. MEPs were recorded simultaneously from the FCR, the extensor carpi radialis, the abductor pollicis brevis and the first dorsal interosseus. In the FCR, MV led to an increase of excitability shown by a decrease of motor threshold, a facilitation of MEPs in response to single-pulse TMS, a reduction of ICI and an increase of ICF. Since especially the ICI and ICF remain unchanged in other recorded muscles, this increase of excitability is specific for the vibrated muscle. With posteriorly directed current the ICI in the FCR was reduced as well, showing an involvement of later I-waves. We suggest that MV induces a focused motorcortical activation which relies on a reduced activity of intracortical inhibitory interneuronal circuits targeting selectively the motorcortical representation of the vibrated muscle.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbruzzese G, Assini A, Buccolieri A, Schieppate M, Trompetto C (1999) Comparison of intracortical inhibition and facilitation in distal and proximal arm muscles in humans. J Physiol 514:895–903
Bertolasi L, Priori A, Tinazzi M, Bertasi V, Rothwell JC (1998) Inhibitory action of forearm flexor muscle afferents on corticospinal outputs to antagonist muscles in humans. J Physiol 511:947–956
Brasil-Neto JP, Valls-Solé J, Pascual-Leone A, Cammarota A, Amassian VE, Cracco R, Maccabee P. Cracco J, Hallett M, Cohen LG (1993) Rapid modulation of human cortical motor outputs following ischaemic nerve block. Brain 116:511–525
Brouwer B, Ashby P, Midroni G (1989) Excitability of corticospinal neurons during tonic muscle contractions in man. Exp Brain Res 74:649–652
Claus D, Mills KR, Murray NMF (1988a) The influence of vibration on the excitability of alpha motoneurons. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 69:421–436
Claus D, Mills KR, Murray NMF (1988b) Facilitation of muscle responses to magnetic brain stimulation by mechanical stimuli in man. Exp Brain Res 71:273–278
Datta AK, Harrison LM, Stephens JA (1989) Task-dependent changes in the size of response to magnetic brain stimulation in human first dorsal interosseous muscle. J Physiol 418:13–23
DiLazzaro V, Restuccia D, Oliviero A, Profice P, Ferrara L, Insola A, Mazzone P, Tonali P, Rothwell J (1997) Effect of voluntary contraction on the threshold and size of cortico-spinal volleys evoked by transcranial magnetic or electric stimulation in conscious man. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 103:193
DiLazzaro V, Restuccia D, Oliviero A, Profice P, Ferrara L, Insola A, Mazzone P, Tonali P, Rothwell JC (1998) Magnetic transcranial stimulation at intensities below active motor threshold activates intracortical inhibitory circuits. Exp Brain Res 119:265–268
DiLazzaro V, Oliviero A, Saturno E, Pilato F, Insola A, Mazzone P, Profice P, Tonali P, Rothwell JC (2001) The effect on corticospinal volleys of reversing the direction of current induced in the motor cortex by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Exp Brain Res 138:268–273
Hagbarth KE, Eklund G (1968) The effects of muscle vibration in spasticity, rigidity and cerebellar disorders. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychol 31:207–213
Hamdy S, Rothwell JC, Aziz Q, Singh KD, Thompson DG (1998) Long-term reorganization of human motor cortex driven by short-term sensory stimulation. Nature Neurosci 1:64–68
Hanajima R, Ugawa Y, Terao Y, Sakai K, Furubayashi T, Machii K, Kanazawa I (1998) Paired-pulse magnetic stimulation of the human motor cortex: differences among I waves. J Physiol 509:607–618
Hanajima R, Ugawa Y, Terao Y, Enomoto H, Shiio Y, Mochizuki H, Furubayashi T, Uesugi H, Iwata NK, Kanazawa I (2002) Mechanisms of intracortical I-wave facilitation elicited with paired-pulse magnetic stimulation in humans. J Physiol 538:253–261
Jacobs KM, Donoghue JP (1991) Reshaping the cortical motor map by unmasking latent intracortical connections. Science 251:944–947
Kossev A, Siggelkow S, Schubert M, Wohlfahrt K, Dengler R (1999) Muscle vibration: different effects on transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation. Muscle Nerve 22:946–948
Kujirai T, Caramia MD, Rothwell JC, Day BL, Thompson PD, Ferbert A, Wroe S, Asselman P, Marsden CD (1993) Corticocortical inhibition in human motor cortex. J Physiol 471:501–519
Lance JW, De Gail P, Neilson PD (1966) Tonic and phasic spinal cord mechanisms in man. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychol 29:535–544
Marsden CD, Meadows JC, Hodgson HJF (1969) Observations on the reflex response to muscle vibration in man and its voluntary control. Brain 92:829–846
Nakamura H, Kitagawa H, Kawaguchi Y, Tsuji H (1997) Intracortical facilitation and inhibition after transcranial magnetic stimulation in conscious humans. J Physiol 498:817–823
Ridding MC, Rothwell JC (1997) Stimulus/response curves as method of measuring motor cortex excitability in man. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 105:340–344
Ridding MC, Rothwell JC (1999) Afferent input and cortical organization: a study with magnetic stimulation. Exp Brain Res 126:536–544
Ridding MC, Taylor JL, Rothwell JC (1995) The effect of voluntary contraction on cortico-cortical inhibition in human motor cortex. J Physiol 487:541–548
Roll JP, Vedel JP, Ribot E (1989) Alteration of proprioceptive messages induced by tendon vibration in man: a microneurographic study. Exp Brain Res 76:213–222
Rosenkranz K, Altenmüller E, Siggelkow S, Dengler R (2000) Alteration of sensorimotor integration in musician's cramp: impaired focusing of proprioception. Clin Neurophysiol 111:2036–2041
Stephan KM, Fink GR, Passingham RE, Silbersweig D, Ceballos-Baumann AO, Frith CD, Frackowiak RS (1995) Functional anatomy of the mental representation of upper extremity movements in healthy subjects. J Neurophysiol 73:373–386
Ziemann U, Rothwell JC, Ridding MC (1996a) Interaction between intracortical inhibition and facilitation in human motor cortex. J Physiol 496:873–881
Ziemann U, Lönnecker S, Steinhoff BJ, Paulus W (1996b) Effects of various antiepileptic drugs on motor cortex excitability in humans: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Ann Neurol 40:367–378
Ziemann U, Lönnecker S, Steinhoff BJ, Paulus W (1996c) The effect of lorazepam on the motor cortical excitability in man. Exp Brain Res 109:127–135
Ziemann U, Tergau F, Bruns D, Baudewig J, Paulus W (1997) Changes in human motor cortex excitability induced by dopaminergic and anti-dopaminergic drugs. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 105:430–437
Ziemann U, Tergau F, Wassermann EM, Wischer S, Hildebrandt J, Paulus W (1998a) Demonstration of facilitatory I wave interaction in the human motor cortex by paired transcranial magnetic stimulation. J Physiol 511:181–190
Ziemann U, Hallett M, Cohen LG (1998b) Mechanisms of deafferentation-induced plasticity in human motor cortex. J Neurosci 18:7000–7007
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rosenkranz, K., Pesenti, A., Paulus, W. et al. Focal reduction of intracortical inhibition in the motor cortex by selective proprioceptive stimulation. Exp Brain Res 149, 9–16 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-002-1330-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-002-1330-3