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Changes in motor cortex excitability associated with temporal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in tinnitus : hints for cross-modal plasticity ? BACKGROUND Motor cortex excitability was found to be changed after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation ( rTMS ) of the temporal cortex highlighting the occurrence of cross-modal plasticity in non-invasive brain stimulation . Here , we investigated the effects of temporal low-frequency rTMS on motor cortex plasticity in a large sample of tinnitus patients . In 116 patients with chronic tinnitus different parameters of cortical excitability were assessed before and after ten rTMS treatment sessions . Patients received one of three different protocols all including 1 Hz rTMS over the left temporal cortex . Treatment response was defined as improvement by at least five points in the tinnitus questionnaire ( TQ ) . Variables of interest were resting motor threshold ( RMT ) , short-interval intra-cortical inhibition ( SICI ) , intracortical facilitation ( ICF ) , and cortical silent period ( CSP ) . RESULTS After rTMS treatment RMT was decreased by about 1 % of stimulator output near-significantly in the whole group of patients . SICI was associated with significant changes with respect to treatment response . The group of treatment responders showed a decrease of SICI over the course of treatment , the group of non-responders the reverse pattern . CONCLUSIONS Minor RMT changes during rTMS treatment do not necessarily suggest the need for systematic re-examination of the RMT for safety and efficacy issues . Treatment response to rTMS was shown to be related to changes in SICI that might reflect modulation of GABAergic mechanisms directly or indirectly related to rTMS treatment effects .
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Intervention_Physical
temporal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
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Intervention_Physical
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation ( rTMS )
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Intervention_Physical
temporal low-frequency rTMS
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Intervention_Physical
rTMS
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Intervention_Physical
rTMS
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Intervention_Physical
rTMS
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Intervention_Physical
rTMS
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Outcome_Physical
resting motor threshold ( RMT )
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Outcome_Physical
short-interval intra-cortical inhibition ( SICI )
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Outcome_Physical
intracortical facilitation ( ICF )
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Outcome_Physical
cortical silent period ( CSP )
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Outcome_Physical
RMT was decreased
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Outcome_Physical
SICI
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Outcome_Physical
decrease of SICI
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Outcome_Physical
Minor RMT changes
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Participant_Condition
tinnitus
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Participant_Condition
tinnitus
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Participant_Sample-size
116
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Participant_Condition
tinnitus