Task-related changes in intracortical inhibition assessed with paired- and triple-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Recent research has demonstrated a task-related modulation of postsynaptic intracortical inhibition within primary motor cortex for tasks requiring isolated (abduction) or synergistic (precision grip) muscle activation. The current study sought to investigate task-related changes in pre- and postsynaptic intracortical inhibition in motor cortex. In 13 young adults (22.5 ± 3.5 yr), paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure short (SICI)- and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) (i.e., postsynaptic motor cortex inhibition) in first dorsal interosseous muscle, and triple-pulse TMS was used to investigate changes in SICI-LICI interactions (i.e., presynaptic motor cortex inhibition). These measurements were obtained at rest and during muscle activation involving isolated abduction of the index finger and during a precision grip using the index finger and thumb. SICI was reduced during abduction and precision grip compared with rest, with greater reductions during precision grip. The modulation of LICI during muscle activation depended on the interstimulus interval (ISI; 100 and 150 ms) but was not different between abduction and precision grip. For triple-pulse TMS, SICI was reduced in the presence of LICI at both ISIs in resting muscle (reflecting presynaptic motor cortex inhibition) but was only modulated at the 150-ms ISI during index finger abduction. Results suggest that synergistic contractions are accompanied by greater reductions in postsynaptic motor cortex inhibition than isolated contractions, but the contribution of presynaptic mechanisms to this disinhibition is limited. Furthermore, timing-dependent variations in LICI provide additional evidence that measurements using different ISIs may not represent activation of the same cortical process.