Correlation Between the 'Nine Holes Peg Test' Performance and the Triple Stimulation Technique Within a Group a Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

The main goal of this study is to determine if the Triple Stimulation Technique (TST) can be correlated to performance in the manual dexterity 'nine holes peg' test, within a control group and a group of patients with multiple sclerosis.

TST (Triple stimulation technique) combines two techniques used in neurologic diagnosis: magnetic stimulation and electroneuromyography. It is based on the principle of two collisions between the descending central stimulation (magnetic stimulation) and the ascending peripheric stimulation. TST allows to better quantify central nervous system diseases. The abnormal amplitude registered by TST is proportional to the intensity of conduction disorders. The evaluation of these disorders is more precise than with the magnetic stimulation technique alone.

The Nine Hole Pegs technique is a simple manual dexterity test, commonly used in ergotherapy. The participant tries to place 9 pegs in a 9 holes perforated plate, and then tries to remove them as quickly as possible. The hand must stay in a depression within the plate, thereby insuring a constant distance between the hand and the pegs.

The nine hole peg will be realized first, and the triple stimulation examination performed after. The acquired data will be analyzed in order to find a correlation between the impairment level given by these two tests.