Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation changes cognitive/motor tasks performance: An absolute alpha and beta power study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Motor Control

Background:

• Voluntary movement requires integrating cognitive and motor functions.
• Cognitive and motor functions can appear distinct during motor learning or complex tasks.
• Motor Imagery (MI) utilizes similar brain areas as actual motor task execution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the inhibitory effects of low-frequency (1 Hz) Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on cognitive functions related to motor skills.
• To examine changes in absolute alpha and beta power in frontal regions during finger movement tasks (Execution, Action Observation, MI) after rTMS.
• To assess the impact of rTMS at the sensory-motor integration site (Cz) on cognitive-motor processes.

Main Methods:

• Eleven healthy volunteers performed finger flexion/extension tasks: Execution, Action Observation, and Motor Imagery (MI).
• Electroencephalography (EEG) recorded brain activity during tasks.
• Participants underwent 15 minutes of low-frequency (1 Hz) rTMS at Cz before repeating the tasks.

Main Results:

• A significant interaction between rTMS and the three tasks was observed across most analyzed brain regions.
• Low-frequency rTMS demonstrated an effect on the frontal region.
• These effects were evident during Execution, Action Observation, and Motor Imagery tasks.

Conclusions:

• Low-frequency rTMS applied to the sensory-motor cortex can modulate cognitive functions associated with motor tasks.
• The findings suggest that rTMS influences neural activity in frontal regions during motor execution, observation, and imagery.
• This study highlights the interplay between cognitive and motor systems and the potential of rTMS as a tool to probe these interactions.