Impact of Sensory Burst Nerve Stimulation on Corticospinal Excitability in Forearm Muscles
摘要
Burst nerve stimulation (BNS) increases corticospinal excitability producing increased motor output, and thus has been used for sensorimotor restoration in neurological disorders. It has been shown to provide a targeted effect to the muscles innervated by the stimulated nerve in the upper limb but a distributed effect in the lower limb muscles. However, all prior studies evaluated the impact of burst nerve stimulation on the muscles distal to the stimulation site in the upper limb. We aimed to examine the impact of BNS on the proximal muscles from the stimulation site in the upper limb. Motor-evoked potentials from seven healthy participants were recorded before and after BNS from the Flexor carpi radialis muscle. Our results indicate that burst nerve stimulation does not affect the corticospinal excitability in the target muscle, proximal from the site of nerve stimulation in the small sample tested.