Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study.
The 2 matches
- [1] § Materials and methods › Procedure and experimental design ↔ Code/compute_threshold.m, lines 149–263 · score 0.70 · fixation cross, psychometric function, Palamedes, Psi, slope, duration
- [2] § Materials and methods › Procedure and experimental design ↔ Code/compute_threshold.m, lines 149–263 · score 0.52 · fixation cross, cumulative, keyboard, interval, 0.8 s, stimulus
Paper
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The authors' code
MATLAB · 428 lines · 15 KB · no license · 2 matches
- % procedure derived from PAL_AMPM_demo from Palamedes toolbox
- %
- % Using psi adaptive procedure (classic one) to estimate both the threshold
- % and the slope of the psychometric function
- % I have tested the cumulative normal distribution but the estimations are unstable - empirical
- % approximations used.
- % to be done:
- % - define sensitive ranges for alpha and beta for the weibull distribution
- % (I have tested the cumnorm but the estimations are unstable - empirical
- % approximations used)
- % - include psychtoolbox for presentation of stimulus
- %
- clearvars
- close all
- addpath('Palamedes')
- %% load stimuli
- % Specify the folder containing the images
- imageFolderPath = '../Stimoli TMS';
- imageFiles = dir(fullfile(imageFolderPath, '*.png')); % Ensure the extension matches your files
- numImages = numel(imageFiles);
- assert(numImages > 0)
- % load angles and images
- angles = zeros(numImages, 1);
- imageHandles = cell(numImages, 1);
- % Loop through each file and extract the number from the file name
- for i = 1:length(imageFiles)
- % extract angle
- parts = strsplit(imageFiles(i).name, '.');
- assert(length(parts) == 2)
- angles(i, 1) = str2double(parts{1});
- % load images
- imageHandles{i,1} = imread(fullfile(imageFolderPath, imageFiles(i).name));
- end
- % setup subject
- prompt = {'Enter subject id:','Enter subject age:'};
- dlg_title = 'Input';
- num_lines = 1;
- defaultans = {'Test','99'};
- answer = inputdlg(prompt,dlg_title,num_lines,defaultans);
- subject.name = answer{1};
- subject.age = num2str(answer{2});
- % set up trial list
- trialData = struct();
- % Initialize an array to hold trial data
- numTrials = 60;
- trials = repmat(trialData, numTrials, 1);
- for t = 1:numTrials
- trials(t).name = subject.name;
- trials(t).age = subject.age;
- end
- %% setup psychtoolbox
- PTBcode_debuging = false;
- % Make sure Psychtoolbox is properly installed and set it up
- PsychDefaultSetup(2); %Feature level 2: Normalized 0-1 color range and unified key mapping
- PsychImaging('PrepareConfiguration'); %Prepare setup of imaging pipeline for onscreen window. This is the first step in the sequence of configuration steps.
- Screen('Preference','SkipSyncTests', 1); %Skip sync tests because it often leads to errors on Windows systems (http://psychtoolbox.org/docs/SyncTrouble)
- Screen('Preference','VisualDebugLevel', 0); %Disable all visual alerts (this avoids the large on-screen error message for the skipping of sync tests).
- InitializePsychSound(1); %Load the PsychPortAudio sound driver for high-precision timing ("1")
- clear ans; %Not sure why 'ans' gets created by PTB, but I'll just delete it to clean up the workspace.
- %--------------------
- % Screen setup
- %--------------------
- % Seed the random number generator
- rng('shuffle');
- % see here
- % https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Psychtoolbox-3/Psychtoolbox-3/beta/Psychtoolbox/PsychDemos/DriftDemo2.m
- AssertOpenGL;
- % Set the screen number to the external secondary monitor if there is one
- % connected
- screenNumber = max(Screen('Screens'));
- % Define black, white and grey
- white = WhiteIndex(screenNumber);
- black = BlackIndex(screenNumber);
- gray = round((white+black) / 2);
- if gray==white
- gray=white/2;
- end
- %% Open the screen
- [window, windowRect] = PsychImaging('OpenWindow', screenNumber, black, [], 32, 2,...
- [], [], kPsychNeed32BPCFloat);
- %Open the screen, smaller window
- %[window, windowRect] = PsychImaging('OpenWindow', screenNumber, black, [0 0 640 480], 32, 2,...
- % [], [], kPsychNeed32BPCFloat);
- % set some stuff for timing optimization
- Priority(MaxPriority(window));
- ListenChar(-1); %This new function suppresses keyboard input to the Matlab console but does not prevent the use of KbQueue commands.
- % Enable antialiasing blending function (e.g. so we can use line smoothing in the DrawLines command)
- Screen('BlendFunction', window, GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA);
- [ifi,nrValidSamples,stddev] = Screen('GetFlipInterval',window,100,0.001,5);
- disp(['Inter-flip interval (ifi) was measured to be ' num2str(round(ifi*1000*100)/100) ' ms (num_samples = ' num2str(nrValidSamples) ', SD = ' num2str(round(stddev*1000*100)/100) ' ms).']);
- disp(['The screen''s frame rate is reported to be ' num2str(Screen('NominalFrameRate', window)) ' Hz.']);
- % Flip to clear
- Screen('Flip', window);
- % Query the frame duration
- ifi = Screen('GetFlipInterval', window);
- %sca; % just for testing
- % Query the maximum priority level
- topPriorityLevel = MaxPriority(window);
- % Get the size of the on screen window
- [screenXpixels, screenYpixels] = Screen('WindowSize', window);
- % Get the centre coordinate of the window
- [xCenter, yCenter] = RectCenter(windowRect);
- % Set the blend function for the screen
- Screen('BlendFunction', window, 'GL_SRC_ALPHA', 'GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA');
- %% ---------------------
- % Text
- % ----------------------
- % Select specific text font, size, and style:
- Screen('TextFont',window, 'Arial');
- Screen('TextSize',window, 70);
- % text
- % mytext = 'Press any key to exit.';
- %% ---------------------------------
- % Colors
- % ---------------------------------
- % NB. 0 = black, 1 = white
- % set color for background
- %grayBack = 0.8; % gray 2
- % base line color
- %lineColor = 0.6; % gray3 & line_color
- % Calculate dark gray index
- grayLevel = 0.8; % Adjust this value between 0 and 1 to change darkness
- darkGray = round(grayLevel * white + (1-grayLevel) * black);
- %-------------------------------------
- % Keyboard/mouse information
- %-------------------------------------
- % Define the keyboard keys.
- % Unify key names across platforms for consistency
- KbName('UnifyKeyNames');
- % We will be using the left and right arrow keys as response keys
- % for the task and the escape key as a exit/reset key
- escapeKey = KbName('ESCAPE');
- not_straight_KeyCode = KbName('L');
- straight_KeyCode = KbName('A');
- % Hide the mouse cursor
- HideCursor;
- % move cursor to console
- commandwindow;
- %-----------------------------
- % Fixation cross information
- %-----------------------------
- % Here we set the size of the arms of our fixation cross
- fixCrossDimPix = 40;
- % Now we set the coordinates
- xCoords = [-fixCrossDimPix fixCrossDimPix 0 0];
- yCoords = [0 0 -fixCrossDimPix fixCrossDimPix];
- allCoords = [xCoords; yCoords];
- % Set the line width for our fixation cross
- lineWidthPix = 4;
- %---------------------------------
- % Timing Information
- %---------------------------------
- % Interstimulus interval time in seconds and frames
- % An ISI is a period of time between stimuli presentations
- isiTimeSecs = 1;
- isiTimeFrames = round(isiTimeSecs / ifi);
- % Numer of frames to wait before re-drawing
- waitframes = 1;
- % Cleanup
- % Screen('CloseAll');
- % ShowCursor;
- % ---------------------------
- % Trial structure
- % ---------------------------
- blackScreenDuration = 1; % Duration in seconds
- fixationCrossDuration = 1; % Duration in seconds
- imagePresentationDuration = 2; % Duration in seconds
- % set up palamedes
- S = warning('QUERY', 'PALAMEDES:AMPM_setupPM:priorTranspose');
- warning('off','PALAMEDES:AMPM_setupPM:priorTranspose');
- %Set up psi
- PF = @PAL_Weibull; %assumed psychometric function
- % PF = @PAL_CumulativeNormal;
- xMin = 0;
- xMax = 37;
- spatial_grid = xMin:1:xMax;
- totals = zeros(size(spatial_grid));
- paramsGen = [10, 5, .5, .02]; %parameter values [alpha, beta, gamma, lambda] (or [threshold, slope, guess, lapse]) used to simulate observer
- %Stimulus values the method can select from
- stimRange = spatial_grid; %(linspace(PF(trueParams,.1,'inverse'),PF(trueParams,.9999,'inverse'),xMax+1));
- %Define parameter ranges to be included in posterior
- grain = 201; %grain of posterior, high numbers make method more precise at the cost of RAM and time to compute.
- %Always check posterior after method completes [using e.g., :
- %surf(priorAlphaRange,priorBetaRange,PM.pdf) to check whether appropriate
- %grain and parameter ranges were used.
- priorAlphaRange = linspace(0,50,grain);
- priorBetaRange = linspace(log10(.0625),log10(4),grain); %Use log10 transformed values of beta (slope) parameter in PF
- gamma = 0.5; %fixed value (using vector here would make it a free parameter)
- lambda = .01; %ditto
- %Initialize PM structure
- PM = PAL_AMPM_setupPM('priorAlphaRange',priorAlphaRange,...
- 'priorBetaRange',priorBetaRange,...
- 'priorGammaRange',gamma,...
- 'priorLambdaRange',lambda,...
- 'numtrials',numTrials,...
- 'PF' , PF,...
- 'stimRange',stimRange);
- %% loop for the number of instruction pages
- % ask type of task
- instruction{1} = ['Benvenut*', ...
- '\n Durante questo esperimento ' ...
- '\n ti verranno mostrate immagini' ...
- '\n del corpo visto da dietro.'...
- '\n ' ...
- '\n Ti verra` chiesto di decidere' ...
- '\n se la colonna vertebrale sia normale o no.'];
- instruction{2} = ['Prima apparira` una croce' ...
- '\n centrale che dovrai fissare,' ...
- '\n dopodiche` un` immagine verra` ' ...
- '\n mostrata al centro dello schermo.' ...
- '\n ' ...
- '\n Il tuo compito sara` di rispondere' ...
- '\n piu` veloce possibile' ...
- '\n premendo lettera A per si' ...
- '\n o lettera L per no.'];
- for i = 1:length(instruction)
- % draw text
- DrawFormattedText(window, instruction{i}, 'center','center', white);
- % Flip to the screen
- Screen('Flip', window);
- WaitSecs(1)
- KbStrokeWait;
- end
- DrawFormattedText(window, 'Premere un tasto qualsiasi per proseguire', 'center', ...
- 'center', white);
- Screen('Flip', window);
- KbStrokeWait;
- %% START EXPERIMENT
- t = 1;
- try
- % Experimental loop: we loop for the total number of trials
- %trial loop
- while PM.stop ~= 1
- trials(t).trialIndex = t;
- % fixation phase
- Screen('DrawLines', window, allCoords,...
- lineWidthPix, white, [xCenter yCenter], 2);
- Screen('Flip', window);
- fixation_time = 1 + sign(randn(1,1))*.2*rand(1,1);
- trials(t).fixation_time = fixation_time;
- WaitSecs(fixation_time);
- % show image
- current_angle = find(angles == round(PM.xCurrent, 0));
- trials(t).image_angle = angles(current_angle);
- mytexture_fix = Screen('MakeTexture',window, imageHandles{current_angle,1});
- Screen('DrawTexture',window,mytexture_fix, [], [], 0);
- vbl = Screen('Flip', window);
- % collect response
- % Now we wait for a keyboard button signaling the observers response
- % Reaction times
- response = NaN;
- reaction_time = 0;
- start_time = GetSecs;
- invalid = false;
- while true
- [keyIsDown, secs, keyCode] = KbCheck;
- if keyIsDown
- reaction_time = secs - start_time;
- % check if response is too quick (<.1s)
- if (reaction_time < .1)
- invalid = true;
- end
- if keyCode(not_straight_KeyCode)
- response = 1; % not straight
- elseif keyCode(straight_KeyCode)
- response = 0; % straight
- elseif keyCode(escapeKey) % exit
- error('Experiment manually interrupted!')
- else
- invalid = true;
- end
- % if invalid concatenate trial at the end of trial list
- if invalid
- trials(end+1) = trials(t);
- trials(t).invalid_response = true;
- trials(t).reaction_time = reaction_time;
- numTrials = numTrials + 1;
- break;
- end
- % save response if trial is valid
- %update PM based on response
- PM = PAL_AMPM_updatePM(PM,response);
- trials(t).threshold = PM.threshold(end);
- trials(t).se_threshold = PM.seThreshold(end);
- trials(t).slope = 10.^PM.slope(end);
- trials(t).se_slope = 10.^PM.seSlope(end);
- if response==1; trials(t).response = 'not_straight';
- elseif response==0; trials(t).response = 'straight';
- else; trials(t).response = 'invalid';
- end
- break;
- end
- end
- % black screen
- % Clear the screen and continue to next trial
- Screen('FillRect', window, black);
- vbl = Screen('Flip', window);
- % wait for tms
- wait_time = 2 + sign(randn(1,1))*1*rand(1,1);
- trials(t).wait_time = wait_time;
- WaitSecs(wait_time);
- t = t + 1;
- end
- catch
- Screen('CloseAll');
- %display the last error message
- psychrethrow(psychlasterror);
- ShowCursor;
- return
- end
- ShowCursor;
- Screen('CloseAll');
- fprintf('th: %.2f\n', PM.threshold(end))
- results.threshold = PM.threshold(end);
- fprintf('slope: %.2f\n', 10.^PM.slope(end))
- results.slope = 10.^PM.slope(end); %PM.slope is in log10 units of beta parameter
- % ---------------------------
- % Save results
- % ---------------------------
- clear imageHandles
- fld = sprintf('./threshold_results/%s', subject.name);
- mkdir(fld);
- save(sprintf('%s/%s', fld, 'workspace_final.mat')); %final workspace
- writetable(struct2table(trials), sprintf('%s/tabular_results_%s.xlsx', fld, subject.name))
- disp('---End---');
- %reset warning to original state
- warning(S);
compute_threshold.m, no license · at the source
Overview
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Via Casorati 43, Verona, 37131 Italy
- Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
Abstract
This study investigated the neurophysiological mechanisms linking visual body perception to motor output in females with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), specifically examining how altered body schema influences corticospinal excitability. A two-stage paradigm was employed in participants with AIS and healthy controls. First, psychophysical thresholds for detecting spinal curvature were estimated. Second, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (100–125 ms post-stimulus) to assess motor system reactivity to body-relevant stimuli. Corticospinal excitability was recorded via motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from intrinsic hand muscles as a proxy for motor readiness during the observation of spinal distortions. Results revealed that AIS patients exhibited significantly lower perceptual thresholds than controls, indicating hypersensitivity to spinal curvature that correlated with subjective self-perception (Trunk Appearance Perception Scale; TAPS). TAPS scores did not correlate significantly with participants’ Cobb angles, indicating that subjective body schema distortion operates independently of mechanical deformity severity. In addition, TMS revealed that AIS patients reached peak corticospinal excitability at their lower perceptual threshold, whereas healthy controls demonstrated peak excitability only when spinal curvatures exceeded their detection thresholds. These findings suggest that AIS involves an increased corticospinal gain in response to body-relevant stimuli. Rather than serving purely as a detection mechanism, the motor system in AIS exhibits a heightened readiness that is tightly coupled with the perception of spinal distortions. Such sensorimotor reorganization suggests that motor excitability is adaptively recalibrated to the patient’s lived physical experience.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Repository
Its files are read in the Code ↔ Paper reader above, with 2 matches between paragraphs and lines of code.
OSF y5shp
Availability: 1 check, the latest on 27 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
- 27 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
2 files
- Code/
compute_threshold.m , MATLAB, 428 lines, 2 matches - Code/
scoliosis2.m , MATLAB, 479 lines
Code availability
All analysis code supporting this research is publicly available: https://
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Tracing map
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Data
No dataset and no data link were found in the paper.
Data availability
Raw data are publicly available: https://
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Data Availability Statement
Raw data are publicly available: https://
All study materials supporting this research are publicly available: https://
All analysis code supporting this research is publicly available: https://
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Version 2, 28 September 2026
- Publisher: n/a → Springer Science+Business Media
Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 3 authors, 5 keywords, 11 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 38 references.
Cite
This paper
Virovec, M., Barumerli, R., & Cesari, P. (2026). Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study. Experimental brain research, 244(8), 147. https://
BibTeX
@article{virovec2026moto
author = {Virovec, Mateja and Barumerli, Roberto and Cesari, Paola},
title = {{Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study}},
journal = {Experimental brain research},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
volume = {244},
number = {8},
pages = {147},
publisher = {Springer Science+Business Media},
issn = {0014-4819},
doi = {10.1007/
url = {https://
pmid = {42377508},
pmcid = {PMC13319178}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Virovec, Mateja
AU - Barumerli, Roberto
AU - Cesari, Paola
TI - Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study
T2 - Experimental brain research
J2 - Exp Brain Res
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 244
IS - 8
SP - 147
SN - 0014-4819
PB - Springer Science+Business Media
DO - 10.1007/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
{
"id": "10.1007/
"type": "article-journal",
"title": "Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study",
"container-title": "Experimental brain research",
"author": [
{
"family": "Virovec",
"given": "Mateja"
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{
"family": "Barumerli",
"given": "Roberto"
},
{
"family": "Cesari",
"given": "Paola"
}
],
"container-title-short":
"volume": "244",
"issue": "8",
"page": "147",
"DOI": "10.1007/
"PMID": "42377508",
"PMCID": "PMC13319178",
"ISSN": "0014-4819",
"publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media",
"URL": "https://
"language": "en",
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
6,
30
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]
}
}
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