Through the TMS coil

Transcranial magnetic stimulation coil

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used to assess the functionality of the corticospinal pathway (neural pathway responsible for voluntary movement). TMS involves the magnetic stimulation of the brain (specifically, the motor cortex), with a figure of eight coil (the hole in the image is the part of the TMS coil). This stimulation causes a response in muscles (motor evoked potential), and this is the spike that you can see in the image. This spike represents the electrical response of the nervous system, from the brain to the muscle. Using TMS, you can also measure the amount of neural drive from the brain, through the spinal cord, and to the muscle. This is termed voluntary activation and is a marker of fatigue (voluntary activation will decrease as fatigue increases). I will be using this technique to assess corticospinal functionality and the development of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School/School of Sport and Health Sciences

Lead supervisor: James Stone