Field: Neuroscience › NeurologyType: No effect foundArea: pain neuroscienceTarget: Single-pulse TMS virtual lesion of the motor cortexStage: exploratory
Hypothesis
A single pulse of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that briefly disrupts the primary motor cortex would change how painful a noxious heat stimulus feels.
What failed
Across three timing protocols (11 to 16 participants each), pain ratings with real TMS did not differ from sham TMS or from pain alone.
Broken assumption
A brief disruption of the motor cortex at the right moment changes the perception of acute pain.
Why
The authors call the study exploratory. Disrupting the motor cortex at these three time points did not interrupt pain processing.
From the published paper: Kisler et al. PLoS ONE, 2018. ↗CC BY