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Cortical excitability changes following grasping exercise augmented with electrical stimulation

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Abstract

Rehabilitation with augmented electrical stimulation can enhance functional recovery after stroke, and cortical plasticity may play a role in this process. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three training paradigms on cortical excitability in healthy subjects. Cortical excitability was evaluated by analysing the input–output relationship between transcranial magnetic stimulation intensity and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the flexor muscles of the fingers. The study was performed with 25 healthy volunteers who underwent 20-min simulated therapy sessions of: (1) functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the finger flexors and extensors, (2) voluntary movement (VOL) with sensory stimulation, and (3) therapeutic FES (TFES) where the electrical stimulation augmented voluntary activation. TFES training produced a significant increase in MEP magnitude throughout the stimulation range, suggesting an increase in cortical excitability. In contrast, neither the FES nor voluntary movement alone had such an effect. These results suggest that the combination of voluntary effort and FES has greater potential to induce plasticity in the motor cortex and that TFES might be a more effective approach in rehabilitation after stroke than FES or repetitive voluntary training alone.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the participants of the study and the personnel of the Centre of Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University, for their help during the study. This study was supported by grants from the Danish National Research Foundation and Det Obelske Familiefond.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7 D-3, 9220, Aalborg, Denmark

    Gergely I. Barsi, Dejan B. Popovic, Thomas Sinkjær & Michael J. Grey

  2. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dejan B. Popovic

  3. Brain Research and Rehabilitation Center Neuron, Kuopio, Finland

    Ina M. Tarkka

  4. Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3b, The Panum Institute 22.3, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Michael J. Grey

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  1. Gergely I. Barsi
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  2. Dejan B. Popovic
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  4. Thomas Sinkjær
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Correspondence to Gergely I. Barsi.

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Barsi, G.I., Popovic, D.B., Tarkka, I.M. et al. Cortical excitability changes following grasping exercise augmented with electrical stimulation. Exp Brain Res 191, 57–66 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1495-5

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