Movement execution can be delayed by transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered over primary motor cortical areas, resulting in transient inhibition of cortico-motor output. Inhibition or disruption of higher-order motor planning and preparatory processes, such as are thought to occur in the supplementary motor area (SMA), would allow an examination of processes at other stages of the motor control system. In this study, six subjects with Parkinson's disease and six healthy control subjects performed a non-cued sequential finger movement task. At various times relative to movement, high-intensity single-pulse magnetic stimulation was delivered over the region of the SMA, with minimal current spread to primary motor areas. When magnetic stimulation was given at early stages during the movement for parkinsonian subjects, movement times were significantly increased, indicating disrupted movements. Supplementary motor area stimulation had no effect when delivered during later stages of the movement or immediately prior to movement onset, and had no apparent effect on control subjects at any time. It is therefore suggested that the SMA is important in motor planning and preparatory processes, since SMA stimulation has no effect on movements in their later stages when planning may be complete, but may disrupt movements in their early stages, when preparation for later stages may still be in progress. Further, possible instability of motor planning/preparation processes in Parkinson's disease is suggested, since these processes appeared more susceptible to disruption by magnetic stimulation in parkinsonian subjects than controls.

Inflammatory myopathy is a group of disorders with progressive muscle weakness being the major symptom. Quantitative assessment of muscle function is important when evaluating the response of these conditions to treatment and various methods, including manual muscle testing, myometry and isokinetic dynamometry, have been used for the assessment of muscle strength. T h e aims of this study were to compare, in patients with inflammatory myopathy, the maximum isometric quadriceps and hamstrings torques using a hand-held myometer and a dynamometer (Kin-Com), and to compare make and break tests using myometry. T h e results showed that in stronger quadriceps the myometer tests underestimated maximum torque as measured with the dynamometer, and that in weaker quadriceps there was no difference in torque with the different methods. There was n o difference in hamstrings make torques for the two instruments. T h e break myometer torques were greater than the make torques for both muscle groups. These findings indicate that when using myometry, break tests measure maximum torque more accurately than make tests, and that isometric dynamometry is preferable to myometry when testing maximum strength of large muscles of near normal strength.

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