To delineate whether cortical plasticity induced by continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) differed according to catechol-O-methyltransferase (
Eighteen healthy older volunteers (mean age 73.78±5.04; 12 females and 6 males) were recruited. Volunteers randomly assigned in either a sham-first or real cTBS first group participated in two separate TMS visits with at least a 2-day wash-out period. Genotyping was carried out at baseline by a separate researcher who was blinded. cTBS was delivered in a hot spot over M1 at an active motor threshold of 80%. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were obtained at 120% of the resting motor threshold before and after sham/cTBS.
The relative MEP to baseline was significantly decreased 0 and 10 minutes post-stimulation and increased 40 minutes post-stimulation, as compared with the sham condition. Immediately after cTBS, the Val/Val group had a significantly reduced relative MEP value, as compared with the MET carrier group.
In healthy older persons, cTBS-induced motor plasticity was reduced in the COMT Val/Val group as compared with the 158Met carrier group.
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To determine whether ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism is associated with the ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine in the Korean population.
A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between I/D polymorphism of the angiotensin I converting enzyme (peptidyl-dipeptidase A) 1 (
The genotype and allele frequencies of ACE I/D polymorphism showed significant differences between the OPLL patients and the control subjects (genotype, p<0.001; allele, p=0.009). The frequencies of D/D genotype and D allele in the OPLL group were higher than those in the control group. In logistic regression analysis, ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with OPLL (dominant model; p=0.002; odd ratio, 2.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-3.65).
These results suggest that the deletion polymorphism of the
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