Author Identifier (ORCID)
Tyler Osborne: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4156-6057
Abstract
Purpose: Persistent motor dysfunction after burn injury may be due to altered motor cortex and corticospinal tract function. This study examined manual dexterity, motor cortex neuroplasticity, and intracortical inhibition in former burn patients 1–3 years after minor injury (<10% TBSA). Method: Thirty former burn patients (TBSA: 0.78 ± 1.08%) and 30 non-injured controls participated. Manual dexterity was assessed using the Purdue Pegboard. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure motor cortex excitability (motor evoked potential [MEP] amplitude) and short- and long-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI, LICI) before and after paired-associative stimulation (PAS) to induce neuroplasticity. Results: Former burn patients performed worse than controls on the bimanual assembly subtest of the Purdue Pegboard. PAS did not induce changes in MEP amplitude but increased LICI in both burn patients and control participants. In burn patients, baseline LICI was related to bimanual performance differently than controls. Conclusions: These findings suggest poorer bimanual motor function persists after minor burns, and differences in the association between inhibition and bimanual dexterity between burn and control groups. Further research should explore whether targeting motor cortex inhibitory circuits can improve motor performance following burn injury
Keywords
burn injury, long after injury, manual dexterity, neuroplasticity, intracortical inhibition
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
8-1-2026
Volume
52
Issue
6
Publication Title
Burns
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Information
This project was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Ideas Grant (GNT2004107) and the Fiona Wood Foundation. Ann-Maree Vallence was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE190100694).
Grant Number
NHMRC Number: GNT2004107, ARC Number : DE190100694
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Rowe, G. S., Wood, A., Fear, M., Edgar, D. W., Miljevic, A., Osborne, T., Morellini, N., Needham, M., Vallence, A., & Wood, F. (2026). Characterising manual dexterity, motor cortex neuroplasticity and intracortical inhibition long after burn injury. Burns, 52(6), 108009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2026.108009