Characterising Manual Dexterity, Motor Cortex Neuroplasticity and Intracortical Inhibition Long After Burn Injury

Grant S. Rowe; Alecia Wood; Mark Fear; Dale W. Edgar; Aleksandra Miljevic; Tyler Osborne; Natalie Morellini; Merrilee Needham; Ann-Maree Vallence; Fiona Wood

doi:10.1016/j.burns.2026.108009

Characterising Manual Dexterity, Motor Cortex Neuroplasticity and Intracortical Inhibition Long After Burn Injury

Grant S. Rowe, Alecia Wood, Mark Fear, Dale W. Edgar, Aleksandra Miljevic, Tyler Osborne, Natalie Morellini, Merrilee Needham, Ann-Maree Vallence Fiona Wood

Burns, Vol.52(6), 108009

2026

: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2026.108009

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burn injury

long after injury

manual dexterity, neuroplasticity, intracortical inhibition

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 post-minor injury (<10% TBSA). Methods 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.

: Characterising Manual Dexterity, Motor Cortex Neuroplasticity and Intracortical Inhibition Long After Burn Injury
: Grant S. Rowe - Murdoch University
Alecia Wood - Murdoch University
Mark Fear - The University of Western Australia
Dale W. Edgar - The University of Notre Dame Australia
Aleksandra Miljevic - Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science
Tyler Osborne - Edith Cowan University
Natalie Morellini - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Merrilee Needham - Murdoch University, Personalised Medicine Centre
Ann-Maree Vallence - Murdoch University
Fiona Wood - The University of Western Australia
: Burns, Vol.52(6), 108009
: Elsevier Ltd.; London
: 14
: 991005879927507891
: School of Psychology; Centre for Healthy Ageing; Health Futures Institute; Personalised Medicine Centre
: English
: Journal article

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