Use dependent plasticity in the corticospinal pathways controlling human arm movement

Abstract

We are investigating whether repetitive training, such as that used during rehabilitation interventions, can induce short term plasticity in the motor pathways controlling the proximal muscles of the human upper-limb. A ballistic, planar whole limb extension training routine has been employed in this study. This study uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to quantify user-dependent plasticity in proximal and distal muscles throughout the upper-limb. Previous studies have shown consistent training induced plasticity in distal upper-limb muscles and proximal muscles with altered somatosensory input. This study demonstrates that whole limb motions can generate short term plastic effects in proximal upper-limb muscles, though results have not been consistent.