Rhythmic arm swing enhances long latency facilitatory effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation on soleus motoneuron pool excitability

Somatosens Mot Res. 2011;28(3-4):94-101. doi: 10.3109/08990220.2011.623519. Epub 2011 Nov 25.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether rhythmic arm swing modulates the long latency effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on soleus motoneuron pool excitability. Ten healthy humans rhythmically swung the left arm back and forth in a sitting position. The soleus H-reflex was evoked when the arm was in the backward swing phase. Conditioning TMS was delivered over the motor cortex 8 ms before the soleus H-reflex was evoked. The soleus H-reflex amplitude in both legs was depressed by the rhythmic arm swing. In contrast, rhythmic arm swing enhanced the facilitatory effect of conditioning TMS over the motor cortex contralateral to the arm swing side on the soleus H-reflex ipsilateral to the arm swing side. This finding indicates that rhythmic arm swing enhances some polysynaptic facilitatory pathways from the motor cortex contralateral to the arm swing side to the soleus motoneuron pool ipsilateral to the arm swing side.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arm / physiology*
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Female
  • H-Reflex / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motor Cortex / physiology*
  • Motor Neurons / physiology*
  • Movement / physiology*
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiology*
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  • Young Adult