Impact of operator experience on transcranial magnetic stimulation

Clinical Neurophysiology Practice

卷:7

Rou-Shayn Chen¹  Yi-Ying Lin²  Ying-Zu Huang³ 

[1] Department of Neurology, LinKou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan;

[2] Corresponding author at: Department of Neurology, LinKou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, No. 5, Fuxing St., Guishan Dist, Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan.;

关键词: Transcranial magnetic stimulation;    Operator;    Experience;    Variability;    Theta burst stimulation;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Objective: To determine the impact of an operator’s experience on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measurement. Methods: Operator B (beginner), operator E (expert), and 30 healthy participants joined the study consisting of two experiments. In each experiment, each operator performed a TMS protocol on each participant in a random order. Results: Compared with operator E, operator B exhibited higher resting motor threshold (RMT) in experiment I (60.1 ± 13.0 vs. 57.4 ± 10.9% maximal stimulation output, p = 0.017) and the difference disappeared in experiment II (p = 0.816). In 1-mV motor evoked potential (MEP) measurement, operator B exhibited higher standard deviation indicating lower consistency in experiment I compared with experiment II (1.05 ± 0.40 vs. 1.05 ± 0.16 mV with unequal variances, p = 0.001) and had poor intrarater reliability between the experiments (intraclass correlation coefficient = −0.130). There was no difference in the results of active motor threshold, silent period, paired-pulse stimulation, or continuous theta burst stimulation between the operators. Conclusions: An operator’s experience in TMS may affect the results of RMT measurement. With practice, a beginner may choose a more precise stimulation location and have higher consistency in 1-mV MEP measurement. Significance: We recommend that a beginner needs to practice for precise stimulation locations before conducting a trial or clinical practice.

【 授权许可】

Unknown