Article
Application of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation to map the supplementary motor area in healthy subjects
Anwendung der navigierten transkraniellen Magnetstimulation zur Kartierung des supplementär-motorischen Areals in gesunden Probanden
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Published: | May 8, 2019 |
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Outline
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Objective: The supplementary motor area (SMA) is involved in the planning and coordination of movement sequences. This study investigates the potential of repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for systematic mapping of the SMA by interfering with normal movement coordination processing.
Methods: 10 healthy females (median age: 23.5 years) performed the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JHFT), first without stimulation (baseline) and afterwards during application of rTMS with 10 Hz to six cortical sites located within the SMA of both hemispheres. The test completion times (TCTs) were then compared between baseline performances and task performances during stimulation.
Results: We found significant slowing of TCTs in the JHFT subtests of simulated page turning (baseline TCT 3.68±0.67 s vs. stimulation TCT 4.04±0.63 s, p=0.0136), lifting small objects (baseline TCT 5.11±0.72 s vs. stimulation TCT 5.47±0.66 s, p=0.0010), and simulated feeding (baseline TCT 6.10±0.73 s vs. stimulation TCT 6.59±0.81, p=0.0027). Three other subtests were not affected, while one subtest was performed significantly faster (baseline TCT 17.09±7.31 s vs. stimulation TCT 15.44±5.72 s, p=0.0073) under stimulation.
Conclusion: rTMS is suitable to influence the performance of healthy participants in a task relying on hand coordination. Our approach can serve as a mapping tool for the SMA, potentially relevant for preoperative diagnostics in patients with brain tumors, epilepsy, or other brain lesions to improve outcome and potentially predict clinical course and postoperative recovery.