Corticospinal and Spinal Excitabilities Are Modulated during Motor Imagery Associated with Somatosensory Electrical Nerve Stimulation

<div>Normalized EMG RMS (±SD) in experiment 1. RMS/<svg height="11.9316pt" id="M55" style="vertical-align:-3.2957pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 28.9579 11.9316" width="28.9579pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M962 650H795L470 145L347 650H176L170 622C268 613 275 606 244 503L190 322C150 188 132 126 118 91C102 50 80 33 18 28L12 0H245L251 28C175 35 170 48 174 93C177 128 191 180 220 284L292 542H294C331 392 383 150 409 4H432L774 555H776L714 137C700 40 694 34 612 28L606 0H868L874 28C793 34 784 37 797 137L849 533C859 612 863 616 956 622L962 650Z" id="g113-78"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,12.22,3.132)"><path d="M810 0V30C751 35 744 40 744 106V296C744 396 694 451 614 451C583 451 558 438 537 425C512 409 485 391 454 368C434 420 390 451 342 451C309 451 285 439 260 424C228 405 206 387 185 372V453C141 434 90 421 43 413V386C102 378 105 373 105 309V106C105 41 96 35 29 30V0H243V30C194 35 185 41 185 106V335C216 360 256 389 297 389C357 389 384 348 384 275V106C384 41 374 35 312 30V0H530V30C475 35 465 41 465 104V294C465 313 464 324 463 336C502 367 539 389 576 389C637 389 663 346 663 274V109C663 41 653 35 593 30V0H810Z" id="g58-107"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,19.782,3.132)"><path d="M442 39L431 68C420 63 406 57 394 57C377 57 359 71 359 118V301C359 353 349 393 314 424C291 443 261 451 230 451C171 438 107 401 79 381C59 366 46 355 46 340C46 316 72 295 91 295C106 295 117 303 122 319C131 350 139 371 152 384C163 397 178 404 197 404C246 404 281 365 281 293V278C260 262 186 232 124 213C69 194 41 161 41 112C41 47 92 -12 163 -12C195 -12 243 25 283 51C288 35 293 22 308 7C319 -4 339 -12 354 -12L442 39ZM281 87C262 68 226 51 199 51C169 51 129 74 129 126C129 162 151 181 190 198C211 208 259 229 281 240V87Z" id="g58-95"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,23.868,3.132)"><path d="M482 0V30C420 38 407 48 370 103L273 248C308 299 331 332 352 357C387 397 401 404 463 409V439H277V409C318 405 324 400 307 369C290 337 270 307 251 279L194 367C175 396 180 402 220 409V439H18V409C74 401 87 395 117 349L204 213C173 168 147 130 119 95C78 46 67 38 5 30V0H195V30C144 38 143 47 162 79C181 112 202 149 225 181L297 70C314 43 307 35 264 30V0H482Z" id="g58-118"></path></g></svg> ratio is multiplied by 100 and recorded in SOL and MG muscles before (Pre), during (Per), and after (Post 1) motor imagery (MI), somatosensory stimulation (SS), and MI combined with SS (<svg height="9.11633pt" id="M56" style="vertical-align:-0.3499298pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.7664 42.0165 9.11633" width="42.0165pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M861 0V28C774 35 771 41 768 147L759 509C756 612 762 614 851 622V650H681L449 149L221 650H57V622C148 613 153 609 144 479L130 271C123 166 117 123 111 88C104 46 85 34 26 28V0H259V28C192 35 169 42 167 90C166 130 166 173 170 256L185 541H187L411 7H431L675 555H679L683 147C683 41 680 35 598 28V0H861Z" id="g121-75"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.583,0)"><path d="M303 0V28C221 34 213 39 213 125V525C213 610 221 616 303 622V650H38V622C120 616 128 610 128 525V125C128 40 120 34 38 28V0H303Z" id="g121-71"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,18.922,0)"><path d="M535 230V280H323V490H265V280H52V230H265V-3H323V230H535Z" id="g117-36"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.458,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,35.62,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path></g></svg>) tasks. EMG RMS was measured 100 ms before each stimulation artefact. At Per, during SS and <svg height="9.11633pt" id="M57" style="vertical-align:-0.3499298pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.7664 42.0165 9.11633" width="42.0165pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M861 0V28C774 35 771 41 768 147L759 509C756 612 762 614 851 622V650H681L449 149L221 650H57V622C148 613 153 609 144 479L130 271C123 166 117 123 111 88C104 46 85 34 26 28V0H259V28C192 35 169 42 167 90C166 130 166 173 170 256L185 541H187L411 7H431L675 555H679L683 147C683 41 680 35 598 28V0H861Z" id="g121-75"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.583,0)"><path d="M303 0V28C221 34 213 39 213 125V525C213 610 221 616 303 622V650H38V622C120 616 128 610 128 525V125C128 40 120 34 38 28V0H303Z" id="g121-71"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,18.922,0)"><path d="M535 230V280H323V490H265V280H52V230H265V-3H323V230H535Z" id="g117-36"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.458,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,35.62,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path></g></svg> (gray boxes), values significantly increased compared to that at Pre and Post 1 (<svg height="11.7782pt" id="M58" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 44.5261 11.7782" width="44.5261pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z" id="g113-113"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path d="M512 -3V55L134 254V256L512 456V514L75 281V230L512 -3Z" id="g117-91"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" id="g113-49"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><path d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z" id="g113-47"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" id="g113-49"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><path d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z" id="g113-54"></path></g></svg>).</div>

Neural Plasticity

tab1

Table 1

Table 1: Corticospinal and Spinal Excitabilities Are Modulated during Motor Imagery Associated with Somatosensory Electrical Nerve Stimulation 