Repetitive training of a synchronised movement induces short-term plastic changes in the human primary somatosensory cortex

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 312; no. 2; pp. 99 - 102
• Main Authors: Schwenkreis, Peter, Pleger, Burkhard, Höffken, Oliver, Malin, Jean-Pierre, Tegenthoff, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 19.10.2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Electric Stimulation; Electroencephalogram source localisation; Electromyography; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory - physiology; Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Male; Median Nerve - physiology; Motor Cortex - physiology; Motor training; Movement - physiology; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Neural Conduction - physiology; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Physical Stimulation; Plasticity; Reaction Time - physiology; Sensory Thresholds - physiology; Somatosensory cortex; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Somatosensory evoked potentials; Somesthesis and somesthetic pathways (proprioception, exteroception, nociception); interoception; electrolocation. Sensory receptors; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Synchronisation; Touch - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Electroencephalogram source localisation; Human; Somatosensory cortex; Somatosensory evoked potentials; Motor training; Plasticity; Synchronisation; Somesthetic pathway; Central nervous system; Body movement; Electrophysiology; Electroencephalography; Repetition; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(01)02196-6

The aim of our study was to assess possible short-term plastic changes in the human primary somatosensory cortex (S1) induced by a repetitive synchronised movement of the right thumb and shoulder. We therefore performed a source localisation of somatosensory evoked potentials after median nerve stimulation in twelve healthy subjects before and after 1 h of motor training. We found a significant medial shift of the N20 dipole on the left hemisphere after training, whereas the dipole location on the right hemisphere remained unchanged. However, no significant correlation was seen between the dipole shift and the improvement in motor performance. We conclude that repetitive synchronised movements are able to induce plastic changes in the contralateral S1, which might be mainly due to the synchronised proprioceptive input.