Novel Electric-field Modelling Approach to Quantify Changes in Resting State Functional Connectivity Following Theta Burst Stimulation
Nicholas Balderston, PhD
Summary
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly being applied to effectively treat mental illness, however efforts to quantify the effects of TMS on the network architecture of the brain have largely been limited in scope and tied to specific neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The objective of the current work is to build and validate a whole-brain, domain-general model of brain connectivity changes following TMS, based on physical models of the current distribution at the cortex. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This work is relevant to public health because it will provide direct evidence that brain connectivity changes following neuromodulatory TMS vary as a function of the current density at the cortex, which can be used to predict psychiatric symptom change following neuromodulatory TMS.
Description
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and smoking cessation. Despite evidence that TMS improves symptoms by modulating brain connectivity, the few published studies that have measured brain connectivity before and after neuromodulatory TMS have been population-, dose-, and pattern-specific, with connectivity effects that are limited in scope to a handful a priori regions of interest. Accordingly, there is a critical need for generalized, comprehensive model that explains how functional brain conn…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria * Able to give their consent * Right-handed Exclusion Criteria * Non-english speaking * Any significant medical problems * Current or past Axis I psychiatric disorder(s), * Active or history of active suicidal ideation * Alcohol/drug problems in the past year or lifetime alcohol or drug dependence * Medications that act on the central nervous system * History of seizure * History of epilepsy or other neurological problems * Increased risk of seizure for any reason * Pregnancy * Any medical condition that increases risk for fMRI or TMS * Any metal in their body which would…
Interventions
- DeviceIntermittent Theta Burst Stimulation
iTBS parameters. A series of 20, 10 s trains will be presented over the course of the \~3.5 min session. Each train will consist of 2 s of stimulation with an 8 s ITI. During the 2 s of stimulation, 10, 50 Hz bursts will be repeated at intervals of 200 ms (5 Hz).
- DeviceContinuous Theta Burst Stimulation
cTBS parameters. A single 600 pulse cTBS train will be delivered during each stimulation session. The train will consist of 50 Hz bursts, repeated at intervals of 200 ms (5 Hz) for 40 sec.
Location
- University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania