Reduction of cortical myoclonus-related epileptic activity following slow-frequency rTMS

Neuroreport. 2004 Feb 9;15(2):293-6. doi: 10.1097/00001756-200402090-00016.

Abstract

In a drug-resistant epilepsy patient with continuous forearm/hand positive myoclonia due to a focal cortical dysplasia of the right motor cortex, cortical jerk-related and electromyographic activity were recorded for 15 min before and after 1 Hz rTMS (15 min, 10% below the resting excitability threshold) of the right motor cortex. A stable negative cortical spike, time-locked with contralateral muscle jerks (60 > 100 microV), was detected only at perirolandic electrodes (maximal amplitudes: block 1 = 21.3 microV, block 2 = 22 microV, block 3 = 25.9 microV). After rTMS, only 20 muscle jerks accomplished the criterion of > 100 microV; blind back-averaging of these disclosed a topographically similar cortical spike, but with amplitude reduced by at least 50% (11.2 microV). This represents in vivo evidence of the possibility to selectively modulate the activity of an epileptic focus by intervening with local low-frequency rTMS.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology
  • Adult
  • Brain Mapping
  • Electric Stimulation Therapy / methods*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Epilepsy / complications
  • Epilepsy / physiopathology
  • Epilepsy / therapy*
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Magnetics / therapeutic use*
  • Motor Cortex / abnormalities*
  • Motor Cortex / pathology
  • Motor Cortex / physiopathology
  • Muscle, Skeletal / innervation
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology
  • Myoclonus / etiology
  • Myoclonus / physiopathology
  • Myoclonus / therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome