Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 2 , Pages 229-234, February 2006

Effects of Treadmill Exercise on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation−Induced Excitability to Quadriceps After Stroke

  • Larry W. Forrester, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center Rehabilitation Research Service, Baltimore, MD
    • Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
    • Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Larry W. Forrester, PhD, Dept of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 100 Penn St, Baltimore, MD 21201-1082
    • ,
  • Daniel F. Hanley, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
    • Division of Brain Injury Outcome, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
    • ,
  • Richard F. Macko, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
    • Department of Medicine, Divisions of Gerontology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
    • Department of Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD

Abstract 

Forrester LW, Hanley DF, Macko RF. Effects of treadmill exercise on transcranial magnetic stimulation−induced excitability to quadriceps after stroke.

Objective

To determine characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)–induced measures of central motor excitability to the paretic and nonparetic quadriceps muscles of chronic hemiparetic stroke patients in the context of a short-term, submaximal bout treadmill exercise.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Motor control and gait biomechanics laboratory.

Participants

Convenience sample of 11 patients including cohorts of treadmill untrained (n=8) and trained (n=3) stroke patients with chronic hemiparetic gait.

Intervention

Short-term submaximal treadmill exercise.

Main Outcome Measures

Thresholds, amplitudes and latencies of TMS-induced motor evoked potentials at vastus medialis in paretic and nonparetic lower extremities.

Results

Baseline characteristics of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) show significantly higher motor thresholds, longer latencies, and reduced amplitudes on the paretic side. In cross-sectional comparisons a group of treadmill-trained patients had greater paretic MEP amplitude changes after treadmill exercise versus paretic MEP responses from a group of untrained patients.

Conclusions

These results indicate that treadmill training for 3 months or more may alter responsiveness of the lower-extremity central motor pathways to a short-term treadmill stimulus.

Key Words:  Evoked potentials, motor , Magnetics , Neuronal plasticity , Rehabilitation , Stroke , Treadmill test

 

 Supported by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Rehabilitation Research and Development (career development award no. B2375V), National Stroke Association, National Institutes of Health (grant no. R29 AG14487), National Institute on Aging, Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (grant no. P60AG 12583), and the Baltimore VA Geriatrics Research, Education & Clinical Center.No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(05)01330-4

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2005.10.016

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 2 , Pages 229-234, February 2006

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