Understanding the Acute Modulation of Brain Activity by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Summary
Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is form of non-invasive brain stimulation. It is approved to treat depression. TMS may help decrease drug craving. It is important to understand how TMS affects the brain. Such a better understanding would help to design ways to treat drug addiction. Objectives: To learn how TMS affects the brain when it stimulates an area in the front of the brain. Also, to see how the stimulation affects the area stimulated and other connected areas. Eligibility: Healthy, right-handed adults ages 18-60 who are non-drug users. Design: Participants will be screened under protocol 06-DA-N415. Participants will have at least 3 visits. The first visit will last about 3 hours. All other visits will last up to 6 hours. Participants cannot use drugs or alcohol at least 24 hours before a visit. They cannot have more than half a cup of a caffeinated drink at least 12 hours before a visit. Each visit will include a brief medical history update, urine test for drugs and pregnancy (if female), a breath test for alcohol and smoking, and questionnaires. Participants will have a TMS orientation visit. A wire coil will be placed on the head. An electrical current will pass through the coil to create a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The other visits will include 2 sessions of TMS-MRI. Participants will lie on a table that slides into a cylinder. The TMS coil and the MRI coil will be placed over the head. Pictures will be taken of the brain with and without stimulation. Participants will complete a questionnaire about how they feel before and after each TMS session and in a follow-up call 1-3 days after their last session.
Description
Objectives: The goal of the protocol is to investigate acute modulations of brain activity by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Using simultaneous TMS and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we will evaluate TMS induced changes in brain activity, including regional brain activation and inter-regional functional connectivity. Repetitive TMS will be applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with different frequencies and interleaved with fMRI acquisition to provide online monitoring of brain activity. Furthermore, we will assess the relationship between the TMS in…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: Subjects must: 1. Be 18 - 60 years of age. -Justification: Many neural processes change with age, and these changes could introduce unwanted variability in both behavioral and MRI signals. In addition, the risk of difficult-to-detect medical abnormalities such as silent cerebral infarcts increases with age. --Screening tool: History. 2. Be in good health. * Justification: Many illnesses may alter neural functioning as well as fMRI signals. * Screening tools: Medical Assessment, Medical History and Physical Examination. Medical assessments include: Vital S…
Interventions
- DeviceTMS (MagVenture MagPro 100 with MagOption)
TMS will be applied using the MagVenture MagPro 100 with MagOption (MagVenture Inc, Alpharetta, GA) stimulator with a figure-of-eight TMS coil. An MRI compatible version of the figure-of-eight coil will be used inside the MRI scanner with an appropriate TMS coil holder.
Location
- National Institute on Drug AbuseBaltimore, Maryland