Enhancement of Human Cortico-motoneuronal Excitability by the Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor Reboxetine

It has been proposed that norepinephrine plays a critical role in the modulation of cortical excitability, which in turn is thought to influence functional recovery from brain lesions. The purpose of the present experiments was to determine if it is possible to modulate cortical excitability with the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor reboxetine in intact humans. Recruitment curve and intracortical facilitation, assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation, were increased after oral intake of 8 and 4 mg reboxetine, in the absence of changes in motor threshold, intracortical inhibition, M-response, F-wave or H-reflex. These results demonstrate that reboxetine enhances cortical excitability and raise the possibility that it could act as a plasticity enhancing substance potentially useful in combination with neurorehabilitative strategies geared to enhance neurorehabilitation.