THE SILENT PERIOD INDUCED BY TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN MUSCLES SUPPLIED BY CRANIAL NERVES - NORMAL DATA AND CHANGES IN PATIENTS

The silent period induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation of the sensorimotor cortex (Magstim 200, figure of eight coil, loop diameter 7 cm) in active muscles supplied by cranial nerves (mentalis, sternocl eidomastoid, and genioglossus) was studied in 14 control subjects and nine patients with localised lesions of the sensorimotor cortex. In th e patients, measurements of the silent period were also made in the fi rst dorsal interosseus and tibialis anterior muscles. In the controls, there was a silent period in contralateral as well as ipsilateral cra nial muscles and the duration of the silent period increased with incr easing stimulus intensities. The mean duration of the silent period wa s around 140 ms in contralateral mentalis muscle and around 90 ms in c ontralateral sternocleidomastoid muscle at 1.2 x threshold stimulation strengths. Whereas the duration of the silent period in ipsilateral m entalis muscle was shorter than on the contralateral side it was simil ar on both sides in sternocleidomastoid muscle. In patients with focal lesions of the face associated primary motor cortex and corresponding central facial paresis, the silent period in mentalis muscle was shor tened whereas it was unchanged or prolonged in limb muscles (first dor sal interosseus, tibialis anterior) with stimulation over the affected hemisphere. By contrast, in a patient with a lesion within the pariet al cortex, the silent period in mentalis muscle was prolonged with sti mulation of the affected side.