Age-related decrease in paired-pulse intracortical inhibition in the human primary motor cortex

Using biphasic magnetic stimuli, paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at short interstimulus intervals (ISIs) was employed to investigate age-related changes in the balance between intracortical inhibition and facilitation. In 26 right-handed healthy individuals, motor evoked potenti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience letters 2001-11, Vol.313 (1), p.33-36
Main Authors: Peinemann, Alexander, Lehner, Christian, Conrad, Bastian, Siebner, Hartwig Roman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aging
Aging - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation
Electric Stimulation
Excitability
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Intracortical facilitation
Intracortical inhibition
Magnetics
Male
Middle Aged
Motor cortex
Motor Cortex - physiology
Neural Inhibition - physiology
Paired-pulse
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:Using biphasic magnetic stimuli, paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at short interstimulus intervals (ISIs) was employed to investigate age-related changes in the balance between intracortical inhibition and facilitation. In 26 right-handed healthy individuals, motor evoked potentials were recorded from the relaxed right first dorsal interosseus muscle after paired-pulse TMS of the left primary motor hand area. The magnitude of intracortical paired-pulse inhibition at ISIs of 1–5 ms was markedly reduced in elderly individuals, whereas no age effect was observed for intracortical paired-pulse facilitation at ISIs of 11–15 ms. This finding demonstrates that normal aging is associated with a relative decrease in the excitability of intracortical inhibitory circuits. In conclusion, paired-pulse TMS provides a non-invasive means of studying age-related functional changes in the motor cortex.
ISSN:0304-3940
1872-7972
DOI:10.1016/S0304-3940(01)02239-X