Short-term session of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation combined with motor imagery facilitates corticospinal excitability in healthy human participants

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) combined with motor imagery (MI) on corticospinal excitability. Ten healthy individuals participated in two kinds of short-term sessions: rPMS combined with MI [magnetic stimulation motor imagery (MSMI)] and rPMS alone (magnetic stimulation) on different days. We measured the motor-evoked potentials before and after the session, and the MI ability of each participant using the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised. The post-session/pre-session motor-evoked potential ratio was larger in the MSMI than in the magnetic stimulation condition, and the difference was correlated to the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised score. This suggests that rPMS combined with MI induced greater corticospinal excitability than rPMS alone. This study highlights the possibility that short-term sessions of rPMS combined with MI could have clinical applications in improving the sensorimotor dysfunctions of stroke patients.