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. 2010 Dec;11(6):505-12.
doi: 10.1007/s10194-010-0247-7. Epub 2010 Aug 17.

Effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of primary motor cortex on laser-evoked potentials in migraine

Marina de Tommaso  1 , Filippo Brighina, Brigida Fierro, Vito Devito Francesco, Roberto Santostasi, Vittorio Sciruicchio, Eleonora Vecchio, Claudia Serpino, Paolo Lamberti, Paolo Livrea
Affiliations

Effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of primary motor cortex on laser-evoked potentials in migraine

Marina de Tommaso et al. J Headache Pain. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of high-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left primary motor cortex (M1) on subjective pain and evoked responses induced by laser stimulation (LEPs) of the contralateral hand and supraorbital zone in a cohort of migraine patients without aura during the inter-critical phase, and to compare the effects with those of non-migraine healthy controls. Thirteen migraine patients and 12 sex- and age-matched controls were evaluated. Each rTMS session consisted of 1,800 stimuli at a frequency of 5 Hz and 90% motor threshold intensity. Sham (control) rTMS was performed at the same stimulation position. The vertex LEP amplitude was reduced at the trigeminal and hand levels in the sham-placebo condition and after rTMS to a greater extent in the migraine patients than in healthy controls, while the laser pain rating was unaffected. These results suggest that HF rTMS of motor cortex and the sham procedure can both modulate pain-related evoked responses in migraine patients.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean values and standard deviations of laser pain rating measured by score of 0–100 VAS in control subjects (n = 12) and migraine patients without aura (n = 13) resulting from stimulation of the right hand and the right supraorbital zone in basal conditions and after sham TMS and 5 Hz rTMS exposure at the left primary motor cortex
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean values and standard deviations of laser-evoked potentials amplitudes for the right hand (a) and the right supraorbital zone (b) in 12 controls and 13 migraine patients without aura. Subjects were evaluated in basal conditions, after sham TMS and after 5 Hz rTMS exposure at the left primary motor cortex. Results of multiple comparison Bonferroni tests of the single groups: basal versus rTMS: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01; basal versus sham: +p < 0.05; sham versus rTMS: §p < 0.05
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Laser-evoked potentials of a representative control subject (female, 26 years old, right column) and a migraine patient without aura (female, 27 years old, left column) obtained following laser stimulation of the dorsum of the right supraorbital zone (upper panel) and the right hand (lower panel) by laser at an intensity of 8 W and a duration of 25 ms in basal conditions and after sham TMS and rTMS of the left primary motor cortex. Each trace represents the average of 20 artifact-free responses
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Mean values and standard deviations of percent modification of N2–P2 amplitude between the basal, sham and rTMS conditions in migraine patients and controls. The results of Student’s t test, corrected for multiple comparisons, are shown: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001
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