No difference in paired associative stimulation induced cortical neuroplasticity between patients with mild cognitive impairment and elderly controls

Objective Paired associative stimulation (PAS) is a widely used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm to induce synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity in the intact human brain. The PAS effect is reduced in Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) but has not yet been assessed in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods PAS was assessed in a group of 24 MCI patients and 24 elderly controls. MCI patients were further stratified by their cognitive profile as well as hippocampal atrophy and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype. Results There was no difference in PAS effects between MCI patients and healthy controls. MCI patients tended to show a higher response rate and an average PAS effect. PAS effects were not correlated with markers of disease severity or ApoE genotype but were more pronounced in individuals with shorter sleep duration and in MCI subjects with higher ratings of subjective alertness. Conclusions Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there was no clear difference in PAS between MCI patients and healthy controls. Significance Our results argue against a continuous reduction of LTP-like plasticity along the spectrum of clinical MCI when stratified by MCI-subtype, APOE genotype or hippocampus atrophy.