The plastic changes in brain organization that are thought to underlie learning can be studied in the relatively well-mapped areas of the primary sensory and motor cortices. There are now several demonstrations of sensory and motor representations changing over periods of minutes to months in response to peripheral injury or simply the learning of a behavioural task. Ziemann et al. have recently demonstrated that a transcranial magnetic stimulation technique involving a train of repeated pulses (rTMS) can be used to modulate neuroplasticity in human subjects[1xModulation of plasticity in human motor cortex after forearm ischemic nerve block. Ziemann, U., Corwell, B., and Cohen, L.G. J. Neurosci. 1998; 18: 1115–1123PubMedSee all References][1]. They used a second TMS technique, involving just paired pulses, to examine intracortical facilitation and inhibition in the motor cortex. The application of rTMS to the motor cortex had no measurable effect but when it was combined with ischaemic nerve block of the hand, however, Ziemann et al. observed changes in intracortical facilitation and inhibition. Ischaemic nerve block applied alone for a similar period did not have such profound reorganizing effects. These results suggest a way of directly, but non-invasively, modulating human cortical plasticity.

中文翻译：

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刺激塑料变化

被认为是学习基础的大脑组织的可塑性变化可以在初级感觉和运动皮层相对完整的区域中进行研究。现在有几种感觉和运动表征在几分钟到几个月内变化的示范，以响应外周损伤或仅仅是学习行为任务。齐曼等人。最近证明，涉及一连串重复脉冲 (rTMS) 的经颅磁刺激技术可用于调节人类受试者的神经可塑性 [1x 前臂缺血性神经阻滞后人体运动皮层可塑性的调节。Ziemann, U.、Corwell, B. 和 Cohen, LGJ Neurosci。1998年；18: 1115–1123PubMed 查看所有参考文献][1]。他们使用了第二种 TMS 技术，只涉及成对的脉冲，检查运动皮层的皮层内促进和抑制。将 rTMS 应用于运动皮层没有可测量的效果，但是当它与手部缺血性神经阻滞相结合时，Ziemann 等人。观察到皮质内促进和抑制的变化。类似时期单独应用缺血性神经阻滞没有如此深刻的重组效果。这些结果表明了一种直接但非侵入性地调节人类皮质可塑性的方法。