Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation interrupts phase synchronization during rhythmic motor entrainment

Rhythmic stimuli delivered through the auditory system can facilitate improved motor control following a motor impairment. The synchronization of movement to rhythmic auditory cues is characterized by quick, stable coupling of motor responses to rhythmic auditory cues. The exact neural sites responsible for this transformation of auditory input into timed rhythmic motor output are not clear. Neuroimaging studies have identified left ventral premotor cortex (vPMC) and left superior temporal-parietal (STP) activation during rhythmic auditory-motor synchronization. To investigate brain areas necessary for different types of rhythmic auditory-motor synchronization, we delivered repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to 15 healthy individuals prior to a rhythmic-auditory tapping task. Subthreshold rTMS was administered separately to the left vPMC and STP at a frequency of 0.9 Hz for 15 min. Phase synchronization error (difference between auditory stimulus and response onsets) significantly increased after rTMS to STP as compared to baseline. Synchronization error also increased after rTMS to vPMC as compared to baseline, but not significantly. Absolute period error, (absolute difference between metronome interval and response interval) was not affected by rTMS. The significant effect of rTMS at the STP expands upon previous imaging research, suggesting that this area is part of the network responsible for rhythmic auditory-motor synchronization. The effect of rTMS on phase synchronization, but not period synchronization suggests these are separate neural processes controlled by different neural networks.