Can Paired Associative Stimulation Modulate Brian Plasticity and Motor Excitability in Stroke Patients?

In the United States, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death. A stroke occurs when blood circulation to a region of the brain is cut off, causing there to be a lack of oxygen in the brain. Strokes often result in impairment of the motor pathways of the body, leading patients to experience lack of motor control. In this experiment, a new technique, Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS), was tested to see its effects on the motor control of stroke patients. Specifically, increased motor cortical excitability was looked for. Through a series of four visits, PAS10, PAS25, PAS100 were tested on seven healthy controls and seven stroke patients. CSP, rMT, PP, RC, and MEP were measured in each visit. With these results, the MEP rate was calculated, as well as the Motor Threshold difference to see the effects of the PAS. Through these calculations, it was found that PAS10 inhibits motor cortical excitability instead of facilitating it