Reliability of resting-state EEG modulation by continuous and intermittent theta burst stimulation of the primary motor cortex: a sham-controlled study

Andrei Rodionov, Recep A. Ozdemir, Christopher S. Y. Benwell, Peter J. Fried, Pierre Boucher, Davide Momi, Jessica M. Ross, Emiliano Santarnecchi (Lead / Corresponding author), Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Mouhsin M. Shafi (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
41 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation designed to induce changes of cortical excitability that outlast the period of TBS application. In this study, we explored the effects of continuous TBS (cTBS) and intermittent TBS (iTBS) versus sham TBS stimulation, applied to the left primary motor cortex, on modulation of resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) power. We first conducted hypothesis-driven region-of-interest (ROI) analyses examining changes in alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-21 Hz) bands over the left and right motor cortex. Additionally, we performed data-driven whole-brain analyses across a wide range of frequencies (1-50 Hz) and all electrodes. Finally, we assessed the reliability of TBS effects across two sessions approximately 1 month apart. None of the protocols produced significant group-level effects in the ROI. Whole-brain analysis revealed that cTBS significantly enhanced relative power between 19 and 43 Hz over multiple sites in both hemispheres. However, these results were not reliable across visits. There were no significant differences between EEG modulation by active and sham TBS protocols. Between-visit reliability of TBS-induced neuromodulatory effects was generally low-to-moderate. We discuss confounding factors and potential approaches for improving the reliability of TBS-induced rsEEG modulation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number18898
Number of pages12
JournalScientific Reports
Volume13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Nov 2023

Keywords

  • Motor Cortex/physiology
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/methods
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Evoked Potentials, Motor/physiology
  • Electroencephalography
  • Theta Rhythm/physiology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Reliability of resting-state EEG modulation by continuous and intermittent theta burst stimulation of the primary motor cortex: a sham-controlled study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this