OBJECTIVE Previous reports characterized the effects of administration of single oral doses of antiepileptic drugs (AED) on cortical excitability. However, AED effects on cortical excitability, and their relationship to plasma blood levels, during chronic drug administration at therapeutic doses are not known. The objective of the study was to determine whether plasma blood levels during chroni...

Motor training consisting of repetitive thumb movements results in encoding of motor memories in the primary motor cortex. It is not known if proprioceptive input originating in the training movements is sufficient to produce this effect. In this study, we compared the ability of training consisting of voluntary (active) and passively-elicited (passive) movements to induce this form of plastici...

25 Temporary deafferentation of the upper limb, with ischemic or anesthetic nerve block, has 26 rapid effects on sensorimotor cortex. Cutaneous anesthesia of the forearm has recently been 27 found to improve sensory and motor function of the paretic hand in chronic stroke patients. 28 However, the neurophysiological mechanisms are unknown. The aim of this study was to 29 investigate the behavio...

OBJECTIVE To assess corticomotor (CM) excitability of the antagonist biceps brachii (BB) post-stroke in preparation for pronator contraction. In healthy subjects, we previously demonstrated that prior to pronator contraction CM excitability of the antagonist BB was suppressed. METHODS Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to assess pre-contraction changes in motor evoked potential ...

Following brain damage, typically of the right hemisphere, patients can show reduced awareness of sensory events occurring in the space contralateral to the brain damage. The present work shows that a hypnotic suggestion can temporarily reduce tactile extinction to double bilateral stimulation, i.e., a loss of contralesional stimuli when these are presented together with ipsilesional ones. Pati...

Reorganization of primary motor cortex (M1) is well-described in long-term lower limb amputees. In contrast cortical reorganization during the rehabilitation period after amputation is poorly understood. Thirteen transtibial amputees and 13 gender matched control participants of similar age were recruited. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess corticomotor and intracortical excit...