Cholinergic system and TMS plasticity protocols
| Study | Design (n) | Age, yr* | Male, % | Protocol | Drug (dose) | TMS target | Mechanism of action | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy participants | ||||||||
| Kuo et al. (86) | C/O (10) | 28 ± 4 27 ± 4 | 60 50 | PAS25 PAS10 | Rivastigmine (3 mg) | M1 | Cholinesterase inhibitor | Increased PAS25 LTP-like; increased PAS10 LTD-like |
| Korchounov and Ziemann (72) | C/O (8) | 19–26 | 62.5 | PAS(N20) + 2 ms | Tacrine (40 mg) | M1 | Cholinesterase inhibitor | No effect |
| Thirugnanasambandam et al. (87) | C/O (12) C/O (12) | 24.5 ± 1.3 25.9 ± 2.1 | 50 50 | PAS25 PAS10 | Nicotine (15 mg) | M1 | Nicotinic ACh agonist | Prolonged PAS25 LTP-like; blocked PAS10 LTD-like |
| Korchounov and Ziemann (72) | C/O (8) | 19–26 | 62.5 | PAS(N20) + 2 ms | Biperiden (8 mg) | M1 | M1 antagonist | Blocked LTP-like |
| AD | ||||||||
| Koch et al. (78) | Parallel (30) | NR | NR | iTBS cTBS | Rivastigmine (4.6 mg/d for 4 wk) | M1 | Cholinesterase inhibitor | No effect |
AD = Alzheimer disease; C/O = crossover; cTBS = continuous theta-burst stimulation; iTBS = intermittent theta-burst stimulation; LTD = long-term depression; LTP = long-term potentiation; M1 = motor cortex; NR = not reported; PAS = paired associative stimulation; TBS = theta-burst stimulation; TMS = transcranial magnetic stimulation.
↵* Data are presented as either mean ± standard deviation or as a range.