Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive tool that can assess the integrity of cortical circuit functioning in humans across the lifespan. By combining TMS of the motor cortex with electromyography measurements of motor output, numerous studies have provided insight into changes in cortical inhibition, excitation, and plasticity that occur with advancing age. Accumulating evidence from TMS studies to date suggests that inhibitory neurotransmission, especially GABA-A receptor-mediated, cholinergic, and interhemispheric inhibition, as well as resting corticospinal excitability, may decline with age. Beyond its use as a measurement tool, a number of TMS paradigms can also be used to induce short-term plasticity in the cortex, thus enabling the measurement of the brain's plastic properties in a single session. Current TMS evidence points toward less dynamic short-term motor cortical plasticity in older adults, as compared to younger adults. Altogether, TMS measures have identified important changes in cortical physiology with age, which have also been linked to age-related changes in motor control and age-linked psychopathology. Going forward, as we expand TMS measurements to more cortical regions using TMS-electroencephalography, TMS will remain a vital tool for understanding the functional changes that occur in the cortex during aging.
Published Version
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