Beyond Reactive Inhibition: Unpacking the Multifaceted Nature of Motor Inhibition

Mirabella, Giovanni

doi:10.3390/brainsci13050804

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Yet, the most prominent symptoms of our patient were those of OCD, a condition which has been associated with more inhibitory deficits in the same tasks (30,40,41). One plausible explanation is that the MEP suppression we observe during action preparation is not a reflection of the type of inhibitory control recruited in stop signal tasks, as already suggested by ourselves in a past study on alcoholdependent patients (58) and as also consistent with a recent reflection on the complexity of constructs such as inhibitory control and impulsivity that are often related but that do clearly not overlap (31). Clearly, the mechanisms underlying the inability to control urges in psychiatric disorders are extremely heterogeneous and cannot be ascribed to a general impairment of motor inhibition.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Importantly, the literature in GTS is not completely in favor of a deficit in inhibitory control, as recently reviewed ( 30 , 31 ). Most of GTS patients are able to temporarily suppress tics on demand ( 32 , 33 ), leading some researchers to rather suggest that these patients would have enhanced motor inhibitory abilities, trained by the frequent need to inhibit tics ( 34 , 35 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between transcranial magnetic stimulation markers of motor control and clinical recovery in obsessive compulsive disorder/Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a proof of concept case study

Quoilin,

Chaise,

Duque

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulties in controlling intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and undesired actions (tics), respectively. Both conditions have been associated with abnormal inhibition but a tangible deficit of inhibitory control abilities is controversial in GTS.MethodsHere, we examined a 25 years-old male patient with severe OCD symptoms and a mild form of GTS, where impairments in motor control were central. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) during four experimental sessions, allowing us to assess the excitability of motor intracortical circuitry at rest as well as the degree of MEP suppression during action preparation, a phenomenon thought to regulate movement initiation.ResultsWhen tested for the first time, the patient presented a decent level of MEP suppression during action preparation, but he exhibited a lack of intracortical inhibition at rest, as evidenced by reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI). Interestingly, the patient’s symptomatology drastically improved over the course of the sessions (reduced obsessions and tics), coinciding with feedback given on his good motor control abilities. These changes were reflected in the TMS measurements, with a significant strengthening of intracortical inhibition (SICI and LICI more pronounced than previously) and a more selective tuning of MEPs during action preparation; MEPs became even more suppressed, or selectively facilitated depending on the behavioral condition in which they we probed.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of better understanding motor inhibitory mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders and suggests a biofeedback approach as a potential novel treatment.

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