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Cerebellar modulation of human associative plasticity
Author(s) -
Hamada Masashi,
Strigaro Gionata,
Murase Nagako,
Sadnicka Anna,
Galea Joseph M.,
Edwards Mark J.,
Rothwell John C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.230540
Subject(s) - neuroscience , transcranial magnetic stimulation , motor cortex , long term potentiation , sensory system , motor system , psychology , primary motor cortex , interstimulus interval , neuroplasticity , stimulus (psychology) , stimulation , plasticity , synaptic plasticity , biology , physics , cognitive psychology , biochemistry , receptor , thermodynamics
Key point • Increases in the strength of synaptic connections in the motor cortex (long term potentiation) can be induced in humans by repetitively pairing peripheral nerve stimuli and motor cortex transcranial magnetic stimuli given 21–25 ms apart – paired associative stimulation (PAS). • This ‘associative plasticity’ effect has been assumed to relate to synchronicity between sensory input and motor output, with a similar mechanism proposed to underlie effects at all interstimulus intervals. • Here we show that modulation of cerebellar activity using transcranial direct current stimulation can abolish associative plasticity in the motor cortex, but only for sensory/motor stimuli paired at 25 ms, not at 21.5 ms. • The results indicate that human associative plasticity can be affected by cerebellar activity and that at least two different mechanisms are involved in the effects previously reported in studies using PAS at different inter‐stimulus intervals.