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Suppression of ipsilateral motor cortex facilitates motor skill learning
Author(s) -
Kobayashi Masahito,
Théoret Hugo,
PascualLeone Alvaro
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06628.x
Subject(s) - transcranial magnetic stimulation , neurorehabilitation , motor learning , motor cortex , psychology , motor skill , stimulation , neuroscience , primary motor cortex , physical medicine and rehabilitation , motor control , medicine , rehabilitation
The primary motor cortex (M1) plays a critical role in early aspects of motor skill learning. Given the notion of inter‐hemispheric competition, unilateral disruption of M1 may increase excitability of the unaffected motor cortex and thus improve motor learning with the ipsilateral hand. We applied slow‐frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) before the initiation of practice of a simple motor skill. Participants were randomly divided into three stimulation groups: (i) ipsilateral M1; (ii) contralateral M1; and (iii) Cz (control site). The mean execution time and error rate were recorded in four sessions distributed over 2 days. Disruption of M1 with rTMS slowed down skill acquisition with the contralateral hand, albeit non significantly, but paradoxically enhanced learning with the ipsilateral hand. This was evidenced by a significant decrease of execution time at the end of day 1 in the group that received rTMS over the ipsilateral M1 compared with both control groups (Cz and contralateral M1 stimulation). This supports the notion of inter‐hemispheric competition and provides novel insights that may be applicable to neurorehabilitation.