Cort
Phoenix Rising Founder
- Messages
- 7,392
Intracortical inhibition refers to the 'voluntary preparation of movement" in the brain. I believe it has to do with movement planning and preparation. This article suggests to me that the brain is just not ready for movement . The authors suggest the problem is different in FM than muscular dystrophy. InMD - the reduced intra inhibition simply occurs because the muscles are so weak there is little need to rev the brain up (my interpretation). In FM the problem seems to be a 'central disinhibition'; central refers to the brain - this suggests to me that a global disinhibition - or inability to ully enter into the planning necessarly for movement.
This would play out I would think - in a kind of stuckness - a frozen state - which makes sense given the 'frozen muscles' and myofascial problems etc.....the muscles seem to be stuck in a contracted state.
I would expect this would play out in CFS as well.
Muscle Nerve. 2011 Feb 8. doi: 10.1002/mus.21920. [Epub ahead of print]
Central mechanisms during fatiguing muscle exercise in muscular dystrophy and fibromyalgia syndrome: A study with transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Schwenkreis P, Voigt M, Hasenbring M, Tegenthoff M, Vorgerd M, Kley RA.
Department of Neurology, BG-Universittsklinikum Bergmannsheil, Ruhr University, Buerkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, Bochum D-44789, Germany. peter.schwenkreis@ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
Abstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to apply paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess intracortical inhibition (ICI) during fatiguing muscle exercise in healthy humans and patients with muscular dystrophy (MD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) to obtain insight into differential central mechanisms.
Methods: We studied 23 patients with MD, 16 patients with FMS, and 23 healthy controls. All participants performed a fatiguing motor task. TMS recordings were taken pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, and 40 minutes post-exercise.
Results: ICI was already reduced pre-exercise in MD and FMS, whereas ICI decreased significantly during fatiguing muscle exercise only in healthy subjects.
Discussion: Reduced baseline ICI in patients might prevent further utilization of this presumably compensatory mechanism during fatiguing muscle exercise. Although reduced baseline to be ICI in MD can be explained as compensatory due to peripheral weakness, in FMS reduced ICI must be considered an indicator of primary central disinhibition. Muscle Nerve, 2011.