Relationship between transcranial magnetic stimulation and percutaneous electrical stimulation in determining the quadriceps central activation ratio.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between quadriceps central activation ratios (CARs) derived from a percutaneous electrical stimulation (CAR(SIB)) and a transcranial magnetic stimulation (CAR(TMS)) in healthy participants.
DESIGN: Nineteen healthy participants (5 men, 14 women, 23.7 ± 4.8 yrs, 66.8 ± 10.0 kg, and 170.1 ± 7.0 cm) qualified for this descriptive study. Muscle activation, using both methods (CAR(SIB) and CAR(TMS)), was measured at days 1, 14, and 28. All participants performed both methods in a counterbalanced order. Correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess relationships and agreement between the two methods. For both methods, reliability was assessed at 14 and 28 days using Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients.
RESULTS: CAR(TMS) scores were higher than CAR(SIB) scores for all three sessions, with mean differences between CAR scores of -0.06 (95% confidence interval, -0.19-0.07), -0.03 (95% confidence interval, -0.14-0.08), and -0.03 (95% confidence interval, -0.11-0.05). There was a significant moderate positive correlation between CAR(SIB) and CAR(TMS) at 14 days from baseline (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.05). Intersession reliability was strong for CAR(SIB) at 14 and 28 days from baseline (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.80 [P = 0.001] and 0.85 [P < 0.001], respectively). Intersession reliability for CAR(TMS) was moderate from baseline to 14 days (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.68 [P = 0.01]).
CONCLUSIONS: It does not seem that the CAR(TMS) and CAR(SIB) methods are interchangeable measurements for evaluating volitional quadriceps activation; however, both measurements seem to have acceptable agreement at 14 and 28 days compared with day 1.