The effect of repetitive electrical stimulation on the motor evoked hemodynamic responses

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of short-term repetitive electrical stimulation (rES training session) on the motor-evoked hemodynamic responses. The fMRI echo-planar images (EPI) were recorded before and after the rES training. The right median nerve (MN) was stimulated during rES. The rES training resulted in a significant increase in activity in a number of supraspinal regions, including sensorimotor and associative cortical areas. On the subcortical level, the effect was also found in the cerebellum, the midbrain, and the thalamus. Possible mechanisms of the neuronal plastic changes observed after rES, and memory processes involved in learning are discussed.