Effect of upper limb focal muscle vibration on cortical activity: A systematic review with a focus on primary motor cortex

This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of upper extremity focal muscle vibration (FMV) on cortical activity. A systematic literature search was conducted for articles published in English in the SCOPUS, PEDro, PUBMED, REHABDATA, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases. Eighteen studies (6 controlled and 12 experimental studies) were included in the systematic review. A total of 264 individuals (20 to 68 years) participated in the studies. The outcome of this review showed that FMV might have contradictory effects on cortical areas: (a) Reduction of cortical activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) and somatosensory cortex (S1), (b) no changes in the cortical activity of M1, and (c) increased cortical activity of M1 and S1. These effects may depend on different factors such as frequency and amplitude of FMV, vibration exposure time, and muscle status. However, no single factor can definitely be accounted for the variance

Sarcopenic obesity is not associated with sexual dysfunction in older adults: a cross-sectional study

AbstractBackground This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sexual dysfunction (SD) and the association between SD and body composition abnormalities, such as sarcopenia, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity.Methods Older adults (≥65 years) were included. Sarcopenic obesity was diagnosed by using newly defined ESPEN-EASO diagram. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Obesity was defined using the fat percentile cut-offs suggested by ESPEN-EASO. SD was determined by Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX).Results Two-hundred and sixty-seven volunteers (64.4% female, mean age 73.63 ± 6.22 years) participated in this study. One-hundred seventy-eight individuals (66.7%) had SD. It was present in 83.1% and 36.8% of the females and males, respectively (p < 0.0001). There was no association between SD and sarcopenia alone (OR: 1.359, 95% CI: 0.650–2.838, p = 0.415) or obesity alone (OR: 0.986, 95% CI: 0.543–1.791, p = 0.963). Sarcopenic obesity was significantly associated with SD (OR: 9.116, 95% CI: 1.173–70.851, p = 0.035). However, this significance was lost after the model was adjusted for gender, marital status, and comorbidities (OR: 4.676, 95% CI: 0.578–37.801, p = 0.148).Conclusions SD was present in 66.7% of the older adults and was not associated with sarcopenia, obesity, or sarcopenic obesity. Further longitudinal studies are needed on this topic

Enhancement of motor skill acquisition by intermittent theta burst stimulation: A pilot study

Objective This study aims to analyze the effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on motor skill acquisition of healthy subjects when applied on alternate days to ensure high adherence to treatment. Materials and methods Ten healthy participants (40-54 years) were included in the study. The control group (CG) (60% female) only received motor training (i.e., finger tapping task-FTTa), whereas the experimental group (EG) (100% female) received iTBS in addition to the motor training (every other day for 5 sessions). Cortical excitability measurements were taken with TMS. The correct sequences of the finger tapping test (FTTe) were recorded for behavioral analysis. Results While SICI was increased by 0.03 in EG, ICF was increased by 0.18 between pre-and post-treatment. On the other hand, CG had a lower ICF difference (MD: 0.05) and a higher SICI difference (MD: 0.21). There was no difference between EG and CG in FTTe at the end of the intervention (p > 0.05 for all variables), except for the increased number of correct sequences within the EG (p = 0.018). There was a significant difference in FTTa between EG and CG, in favor of EG (p = 0.042). The effect size was 0.62. Conclusion Although no difference was found in terms of cortical excitability and FTTe between the EG and CG at the end of the alternate-day treatment, it seemed like iTBS increased cortical facilitation further than CG. Furthermore, the number of correct sequences in FTTe and FTTa was significantly increased in EG, showing that intermittent iTBS might improve motor learning and performance