IMR Press / JIN / Volume 22 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.31083/j.jin2203061
Open Access Original Research
Evaluation of Relationships between Corticospinal Excitability and Somatosensory Deficits in the Acute and Subacute Phases of Stroke
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1 Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 310015 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
2 School of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, 311121 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
3 Department of Obstetrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 310015 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
4 Department of General Practice, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 310015 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
5 Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 310015 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
6 TMS Centre, Deqing Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 310018 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
*Correspondence: 20201018@hznu.edu.cn (Jinghua Wang); xwcheswu@gmail.com; xianwei.che@hznu.edu.cn (Xianwei Che)
J. Integr. Neurosci. 2023, 22(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.jin2203061
Submitted: 20 September 2022 | Revised: 30 December 2022 | Accepted: 3 January 2023 | Published: 8 May 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Stimulation and Neuroimaging)
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Somatosensory deficits are common symptoms post stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the motor cortex is able to promote motor rehabilitation, whereby its impact on somatosensory functioning remains unknown. This study was designed to evaluate the association between somatosensory deficits and corticospinal excitability following stroke, with the purpose to provide insights on rTMS interventions for the management of somatosensory deficits. Methods: Somatosensory functioning and corticospinal excitability (motor-evoked potential, MEP; cortical silence period, CSP) were evaluated from a group of sixteen patients with unilateral ischemic stroke in the acute or subacute phase. Results: Results indicated that the uncommon presentation of larger MEPs in ipsilesional vs. contralesional motor cortex was associated with worse somatosensory function compared to those with a smaller MEP in ipsilesional motor cortex. Moreover, increased MEP ratio (ipsilesional vs. contralesional motor cortex) was associated with better somatosensory function in patients with well-preserved somatosensory function. Conclusions: In well-recovered patients, an increased MEP ratio between the ipsilesional and contralesional motor cortex could be an indicator of improved somatosensory functioning following stroke.

Keywords
stroke
somatosensory deficits
TMS
MEP
CSP
Funding
2022WJCY011/Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission
4045F41120040/National Natural Science Foundation of China
2022C03038/Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province
2021WJCY130/Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission
2022WJCY012/Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission
2021GY63/Huzhou Science and Technology Bureau
Figures
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