Effect of acute transcranial magnetic stimulation on intracellular signalling in human skeletal muscle

Objective: To investigate the potential of an acute bout of transcranial magnetic stimulation to induce anabolic signalling. Design: Experimental intervention on healthy subjects. Subjects: Ten healthy subjects, 5 women and 5 men (mean age 32 years; standard deviation (SD) 4). Methods: Transcranial magnetic stimulation, resulting in contraction of the quadriceps muscles, was applied at a frequency of 10 Hz for 10 s followed by 20 s of rest, repeated 40 times over 20 min. Electromyography and force data were collected for all transcranial magnetic stimulation sequences. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle before and 1 and 3 h after stimulation for evaluation of the molecular response of the muscle. Results: The described stimulation decreased phosphorylation of AKT at Thr308 (1 h: -29%, 3 h: -38%; pFunding Agencies|Futurum - the Academy for Health and Care, Region Jonkoping County, Sweden; Swedish Society of Medicine