Improvement of hand dexterity following motor cortex rTMS in multiple sclerosis patients with cerebellar impairment

Abstract

We tested the effects of 5-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the motor cortex in multiple sclerosis (MS) subjects with cerebellar symptoms. rTMS improved hand dexterity in cerebellar patients (n=8) but not in healthy subjects (n=7), as detected by a significant transient reduction of the time required to complete the nine-hole pegboard task. rTMS of the motor cortex may be a useful approach to treat cerebellar impairment in MS patients.