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Grassi PR, Bannert MM, Bartels A. The causal involvement of the visual cortex in visual working memory remains uncertain. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231884. [PMID: 39092143 PMCID: PMC11293800 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
The role of the early visual cortex in visual working memory (VWM) is a matter of current debate. Neuroimaging studies have consistently shown that visual areas encode the content of working memory, while transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have presented incongruent results. Thus, we lack conclusive evidence supporting the causal role of early visual areas in VWM. In a recent registered report, Phylactou et al. (Phylactou P, Shimi A, Konstantinou N 2023 R. Soc. Open Sci. 10, 230321 (doi:10.1098/rsos.230321)) sought to tackle this controversy via two well-powered TMS experiments, designed to correct possible methodological issues of previous attempts identified in a preceding systematic review and meta-analysis (Phylactou P, Traikapi A, Papadatou-Pastou M, Konstantinou N 2022 Psychon. Bull. Rev. 29, 1594-1624 (doi:10.3758/s13423-022-02107-y)). However, a key part of their critique and experimental design was based on a misunderstanding of the visual system. They disregarded two important anatomical facts, namely that early visual areas of each hemisphere represent the contralateral visual hemifield, and that each hemisphere receives equally strong input from each eye-both leading to confounded conditions and artefactual effects in their studies. Here, we explain the correct anatomy, describe why their experiments failed to address current issues in the literature and perform a thorough reanalysis of their TMS data revealing important null results. We conclude that the causal role of the visual cortex in VWM remains uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Rodrigo Grassi
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael M. Bannert
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Bartels
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
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2
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Baldi S, Schuhmann T, Goossens L, Schruers KRJ. Individualized, connectome-based, non-invasive stimulation of OCD deep-brain targets: A proof-of-concept. Neuroimage 2024; 288:120527. [PMID: 38286272 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) generally improves with deep-brain stimulation (DBS), thought to modulate neural activity at both the implantation site and in connected brain regions. However, its invasive nature, side-effects, and lack of customization, make non-invasive treatments preferable. Harnessing the established remote effects of cortical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), connectivity-based approaches have emerged for depression that aim at influencing distant regions connected to the stimulation site. We here investigated whether effective OCD DBS targets (here subthalamic nucleus [STN] and nucleus accumbens [NAc]) could be modulated non-invasively with TMS. In a proof-of-concept study with nine healthy individuals, we used 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and probabilistic tractography to reconstruct the fiber tracts traversing manually segmented STN/NAc. Two TMS targets were individually selected based on the strength of their structural connectivity to either the STN, or both the STN and NAc. In a sham-controlled, within-subject cross-over design, TMS was administered over the personalized targets, located around the precentral and middle frontal gyrus. Resting-state functional 3T MRI was acquired before, and at 5 and 25 min after stimulation to investigate TMS-induced changes in the functional connectivity of the STN and NAc with other regions of the brain. Static and dynamic seed-to-voxel correlation analyses were conducted. TMS over both targets was able to modulate the functional connectivity of the STN and NAc, engaging both overlapping and distinct regions, and unfolding following different temporal dynamics. Given the relevance of the engaged connected regions to OCD pathology, we argue that a personalized, connectivity-based procedure is worth investigating as potential treatment for refractory OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Baldi
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Teresa Schuhmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Liesbet Goossens
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Koen R J Schruers
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Massironi A, Lazzari G, La Rocca S, Ronconi L, Daini R, Lega C. Transcranial magnetic stimulation on the right dorsal attention network modulates the center-surround profile of the attentional focus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae015. [PMID: 38300180 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychophysical observations indicate that the spatial profile of visuospatial attention includes a central enhancement around the attentional focus, encircled by a narrow zone of reduced excitability in the immediate surround. This inhibitory ring optimally amplifies relevant target information, likely stemming from top-down frontoparietal recurrent activity modulating early visual cortex activations. However, the mechanisms through which neural suppression gives rise to the surrounding attenuation and any potential hemispheric specialization remain unclear. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to evaluate the role of two regions of the dorsal attention network in the center-surround profile: the frontal eye field and the intraparietal sulcus. Participants performed a psychophysical task that mapped the entire spatial attentional profile, while transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered either to intraparietal sulcus or frontal eye field on the right (Experiment 1) and left (Experiment 2) hemisphere. Results showed that stimulation of right frontal eye field and right intraparietal sulcus significantly changed the center-surround profile, by widening the inhibitory ring around the attentional focus. The stimulation on the left frontal eye field, but not left intraparietal sulcus, induced a general decrease in performance but did not alter the center-surround profile. Results point to a pivotal role of the right dorsal attention network in orchestrating inhibitory spatial mechanisms required to limit interference by surrounding distractors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Massironi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Lazzari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefania La Rocca
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Daini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Carlotta Lega
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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4
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Hand choice is unaffected by high frequency continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation to the posterior parietal cortex. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275262. [PMID: 36227882 PMCID: PMC9560494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study used a high frequency TMS protocol known as continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to test a model of hand choice that relies on competing interactions between the hemispheres of the posterior parietal cortex. Based on the assumption that cTBS reduces cortical excitability, the model predicts a significant decrease in the likelihood of selecting the hand contralateral to stimulation. An established behavioural paradigm was used to estimate hand choice in each individual, and these measures were compared across three stimulation conditions: cTBS to the left posterior parietal cortex, cTBS to the right posterior parietal cortex, or sham cTBS. Our results provide no supporting evidence for the interhemispheric competition model. We find no effects of cTBS on hand choice, independent of whether the left or right posterior parietal cortex was stimulated. Our results are nonetheless of value as a point of comparison against prior brain stimulation findings that, in contrast, provide evidence for a causal role for the posterior parietal cortex in hand choice.
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Nardone R, Sebastianelli L, Versace V, Ferrazzoli D, Brigo F, Schwenker K, Saltuari L, Trinka E. TMS for the functional evaluation of cannabis effects and for treatment of cannabis addiction: A review. Psychiatry Res 2022; 310:114431. [PMID: 35219263 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The knowledge about the effects of cannabis on human cortical brain processes is increasing. In this regard, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) enables the evaluation of central nervous system function, including drug effects. Moreover, repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been used therapeutically in several substance use disorders. In this scoping review, we summarize and discuss studies that have employed TMS and rTMS techniques in users of cannabis for recreational purposes. In subjects with a history of persistent cannabis use, TMS studies showed reduced short-interval cortical inhibition (SICI). This observation points more at neurobiological changes of chronic cannabis use than to a direct effect of cannabis on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptors. Moreover, individuals vulnerable to becoming long-term users of cannabis may also have underlying pre-existing abnormalities in SICI. Of note, the use of cannabis is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, and the down-regulation of GABAergic function may play a role. Less frequent cannabis use and spontaneous craving were observed following rTMS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). There is emerging evidence that the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus are potential targets for rTMS intervention in cannabis use disorder. However, larger and randomized trials should corroborate these encouraging findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy; Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Davide Ferrazzoli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Kerstin Schwenker
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; UMIT, University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
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6
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The Role of Expectation and Beliefs on the Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111526. [PMID: 34827526 PMCID: PMC8615662 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques are used in clinical and cognitive neuroscience to induce a mild magnetic or electric field in the brain to modulate behavior and cortical activation. Despite the great body of literature demonstrating promising results, unexpected or even paradoxical outcomes are sometimes observed. This might be due either to technical and methodological issues (e.g., stimulation parameters, stimulated brain area), or to participants’ expectations and beliefs before and during the stimulation sessions. In this narrative review, we present some studies showing that placebo and nocebo effects, associated with positive and negative expectations, respectively, could be present in NIBS trials, both in experimental and in clinical settings. The lack of systematic evaluation of subjective expectations and beliefs before and after stimulation could represent a caveat that overshadows the potential contribution of placebo and nocebo effects in the outcome of NIBS trials.
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V5/MT+ modulates spatio-temporal integration differently across and within hemifields: Causal evidence from TMS. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:107995. [PMID: 34425143 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
It is unclear how the brain reaches the correct balance between temporal and spatial processing necessary to perceive motion across space. Here, we tested whether visual motion area V5/MT + plays a causal role in Ternus illusion. Ternus displays can be perceived as showing either group motion or element motion and are empirically useful for dissociating temporal and spatial grouping across visual fields. Online single-pulse TMS was applied to observers during the presentation of Ternus displays, either within or across hemifields, over left V5/MT + or, respectively, a control site in the left somatosensory cortex, or an additional 'Sham' control condition. In the cross-hemifields condition, observers perceived more element motion with TMS over left V5/MT + than in either control condition. By contrast, in the within-hemifield condition, observers reported more group motion after left V5/MT + TMS. Our findings demonstrate a causal role of left V5/MT+ in the spatio-temporal grouping of Ternus apparent motion, and in maintaining the balance of spatio-temporal processing both within and across individual hemifields.
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Piai V, Nieberlein L, Hartwigsen G. Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation over the left posterior superior temporal gyrus on picture-word interference. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242941. [PMID: 33253319 PMCID: PMC7703954 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Word-production theories argue that during language production, a concept activates multiple lexical candidates in left temporal cortex, and the intended word is selected from this set. Evidence for theories on spoken-word production comes, for example, from the picture-word interference task, where participants name pictures superimposed by congruent (e.g., picture: rabbit, distractor "rabbit"), categorically related (e.g., distractor "sheep"), or unrelated (e.g., distractor "fork") words. Typically, whereas congruent distractors facilitate naming, related distractors slow down picture naming relative to unrelated distractors, resulting in semantic interference. However, the neural correlates of semantic interference are debated. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the left mid-to-posterior STG (pSTG) is involved in the interference associated with semantically related distractors. To probe the functional relevance of this area, we targeted the left pSTG with focal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) while subjects performed a picture-word interference task. Unexpectedly, pSTG stimulation did not affect the semantic interference effect but selectively increased the congruency effect (i.e., faster naming with congruent distractors). The facilitatory TMS effect selectively occurred in the more difficult list with an overall lower name agreement. Our study adds new evidence to the causal role of the left pSTG in the interaction between picture and distractor representations or processing streams, only partly supporting previous neuroimaging studies. Moreover, the observed unexpected condition-specific facilitatory rTMS effect argues for an interaction of the task- or stimulus-induced brain state with the modulatory TMS effect. These issues should be systematically addressed in future rTMS studies on language production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitória Piai
- Donders Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Medical Psychology, Donders Centre for Medical Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Laura Nieberlein
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Casanova MF, Sokhadze EM, Casanova EL, Li X. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neuropathological Underpinnings and Clinical Correlations. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2020; 35:100832. [PMID: 32892959 PMCID: PMC7477302 DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2020.100832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite growing knowledge about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research findings have not been translated into curative treatment. At present, most therapeutic interventions provide for symptomatic treatment. Outcomes of interventions are judged by subjective endpoints (eg, behavioral assessments) which alongside the highly heterogeneous nature of ASD account for wide variability in the effectiveness of treatments. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is one of the first treatments that targets a putative core pathologic feature of autism, specifically the cortical inhibitory imbalance that alters gamma frequency synchronization. Studies show that low frequency TMS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with ASD decreases the power of gamma activity and increases the difference between gamma responses to target and nontarget stimuli. TMS improves executive function skills related to self-monitoring behaviors and the ability to apply corrective actions. These improvements manifest themselves as a reduction of stimulus bound behaviors and diminished sympathetic arousal. Results become more significant with increasing number of sessions and bear synergism when used along with neurofeedback. When applied at low frequencies in individuals with ASD, TMS appears to be safe and to improve multiple patient-oriented outcomes. Future studies should be conducted in large populations to establish predictors of outcomes (eg, genetic profiling), length of persistence of benefits, and utility of booster sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel F. Casanova
- Director of Childhood Neurotherapeutics, Greenville Health System, Departments of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Greenville, SC, USA and Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Estate M. Sokhadze
- Research Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Emily L. Casanova
- Research Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Xiaoli Li
- Director, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Bergmann TO, Hartwigsen G. Inferring Causality from Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Cognitive Neuroscience. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:195-225. [PMID: 32530381 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct and alternating current stimulation, are advocated as measures to enable causal inference in cognitive neuroscience experiments. Transcending the limitations of purely correlative neuroimaging measures and experimental sensory stimulation, they allow to experimentally manipulate brain activity and study its consequences for perception, cognition, and eventually, behavior. Although this is true in principle, particular caution is advised when interpreting brain stimulation experiments in a causal manner. Research hypotheses are often oversimplified, disregarding the underlying (implicitly assumed) complex chain of causation, namely, that the stimulation technique has to generate an electric field in the brain tissue, which then evokes or modulates neuronal activity both locally in the target region and in connected remote sites of the network, which in consequence affects the cognitive function of interest and eventually results in a change of the behavioral measure. Importantly, every link in this causal chain of effects can be confounded by several factors that have to be experimentally eliminated or controlled to attribute the observed results to their assumed cause. This is complicated by the fact that many of the mediating and confounding variables are not directly observable and dose-response relationships are often nonlinear. We will walk the reader through the chain of causation for a generic cognitive neuroscience NIBS study, discuss possible confounds, and advise appropriate control conditions. If crucial assumptions are explicitly tested (where possible) and confounds are experimentally well controlled, NIBS can indeed reveal cause-effect relationships in cognitive neuroscience studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Ciricugno A, Ferrari C, Rusconi ML, Cattaneo Z. The left posterior cerebellum is involved in orienting attention along the mental number line: An online-TMS study. Neuropsychologia 2020; 143:107497. [PMID: 32413432 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although converging evidence suggests that the posterior cerebellum is involved in visuospatial functions and in the orienting of attention, a clear topography of cerebellar regions causally involved in the control of spatial attention is still missing. In this study, we aimed to shed light on this issue by using online neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to temporarily interfere with posterior medial (Vermis lobule VII) and left lateral (Crus I/II) cerebellar activity during a task measuring visuospatial (landmark task, Experiment 1 and 2) and representational (number bisection task, Experiment 2) asymmetries in the orienting of attention. At baseline, participants showed attentional biases consistent with the literature, that is a leftward and upward bias with horizontal and vertical lines, respectively, and a leftward bias in number bisection. Critically, TMS over the left cerebellar hemisphere significantly counteracted pseudoneglect in the number bisection task, whilst not affecting attentional biases in the landmark task. In turn, TMS over the posterior vermis did not affect performance in either task. Taken together, our findings suggest that the left posterior cerebellar hemisphere (but not the posterior vermis) is a critical node of an extended brain network subtending the control of spatial attention, at least when attention needs to be allocated to an internal representational space and a certain degree of mental manipulation is required (as in the number bisection task).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chiara Ferrari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Rusconi
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Zaira Cattaneo
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
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12
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Janssens SEW, Sack AT, Jessen S, de Graaf TA. Can processing of face trustworthiness bypass early visual cortex? A transcranial magnetic stimulation masking study. Neuropsychologia 2020; 137:107304. [PMID: 31838099 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
As a highly social species, we constantly evaluate human faces to decide whether we can trust someone. Previous studies suggest that face trustworthiness can be processed unconsciously, but the underlying neural pathways remain unclear. Specifically, the question remains whether processing of face trustworthiness relies on early visual cortex (EVC), required for conscious perception. If processing of trustworthiness can bypass EVC, then disrupting EVC should impair subjective (conscious) trustworthiness perception while leaving objective (forced-choice) trustworthiness judgment intact. We applied double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to right EVC, at different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) from presentation of a face in either the left or right hemifield. Faces were slightly rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, and were either trustworthy or untrustworthy. On each trial, participants discriminated 1) trustworthiness, 2) stimulus rotation, and 3) reported subjective visibility of trustworthiness. At early SOAs and specifically in the left hemifield, performance on the rotation task was impaired by TMS. Crucially, though TMS also impaired subjective visibility of trustworthiness, no effects on trustworthiness discrimination were obtained. Thus, conscious perception of face trustworthiness (captured by subjective visibility ratings) relies on intact EVC, while objective forced-choice trustworthiness judgments may not. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that objective trustworthiness processing can bypass EVC. For basic visual features, extrastriate pathways are well-established; but face trustworthiness depends on a complex configuration of features. Its potential processing without EVC is therefore of particular interest, further highlighting its ecological relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanice E W Janssens
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain+Nerve Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Jessen
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Tom A de Graaf
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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13
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Cameron IGM, Cretu AL, Struik F, Toni I. The Effects of a TMS Double Perturbation to a Cortical Network. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0188-19.2019. [PMID: 31924733 PMCID: PMC7004488 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0188-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is often used to understand the function of individual brain regions, but this ignores the fact that TMS may affect network-level rather than nodal-level processes. We examine the effects of a double perturbation to two frontoparietal network nodes, compared with the effects of single lesions to either node. We hypothesized that Bayesian evidence for the absence of effects that build upon one another indicates that a single perturbation is consequential to network-level processes. Twenty-three humans performed pro-saccades (look toward) and anti-saccades (look away) after receiving continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) to right frontal eye fields (FEFs), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), or somatosensory cortex (S1; the control region). On a subset of trials, a TMS pulse was applied to right posterior parietal cortex (PPC). FEF, DLPFC, and PPC are important frontoparietal network nodes for generating anti-saccades. Bayesian t tests were used to test hypotheses for enhanced double perturbation effects (cTBS plus TMS pulse) on saccade behaviors, against the alternative hypothesis that double perturbation effects to a network are not greater than single perturbation effects. In one case, we observed strong evidence [Bayes factor (BF10) = 325] that PPC TMS following DLPFC cTBS enhanced impairments in ipsilateral anti-saccade amplitudes over DLPFC cTBS alone, and not over the effect of the PPC pulse alone (BF10 = 0.75), suggesting that double perturbation effects do not augment one another. Rather, this suggests that computations are distributed across the network, and in some cases there can be compensation for cTBS perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian G M Cameron
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andreea L Cretu
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Femke Struik
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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14
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Tscherpel C, Hensel L, Lemberg K, Freytag J, Michely J, Volz LJ, Fink GR, Grefkes C. Age affects the contribution of ipsilateral brain regions to movement kinematics. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:640-655. [PMID: 31617272 PMCID: PMC7268044 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Healthy aging is accompanied by changes in brain activation patterns in the motor system. In older subjects, unilateral hand movements typically rely on increased recruitment of ipsilateral frontoparietal areas. While the two central concepts of aging‐related brain activity changes, “Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults” (HAROLD), and “Posterior to Anterior Shift in Aging” (PASA), have initially been suggested in the context of cognitive tasks and were attributed to compensation, current knowledge regarding the functional significance of increased motor system activity remains scarce. We, therefore, used online interference transcranial magnetic stimulation in young and older subjects to investigate the role of key regions of the ipsilateral frontoparietal cortex, that is, (a) primary motor cortex (M1), (b) dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC), and (c) anterior intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in the control of hand movements of different motor demands. Our data suggest a change of the functional roles of ipsilateral brain areas in healthy age with a reduced relevance of ipsilateral M1 and a shift of importance toward dPMC for repetitive high‐frequency movements. These results support the notion that mechanisms conceptualized in the models of “PASA” and “HAROLD” also apply to the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Tscherpel
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Lukas Hensel
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Katharina Lemberg
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jana Freytag
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jochen Michely
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lukas J Volz
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gereon R Fink
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Christian Grefkes
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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15
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Dynamic regulation of interregional cortical communication by slow brain oscillations during working memory. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4242. [PMID: 31534123 PMCID: PMC6751161 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12057-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Transiently storing information and mentally manipulating it is known as working memory. These operations are implemented by a distributed, fronto-parietal cognitive control network in the brain. The neural mechanisms controlling interactions within this network are yet to be determined. Here, we show that during a working memory task the brain uses an oscillatory mechanism for regulating access to prefrontal cognitive resources, dynamically controlling interactions between prefrontal cortex and remote neocortical areas. Combining EEG with non-invasive brain stimulation we show that fast rhythmical brain activity at posterior sites are nested into prefrontal slow brain waves. Depending on cognitive demand this high frequency activity is nested into different phases of the slow wave enabling dynamic coupling or de-coupling of the fronto-parietal control network adjusted to cognitive effort. This mechanism constitutes a basic principle of coordinating higher cognitive functions in the human brain.
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16
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Probing the Neural Mechanisms for Distractor Filtering and Their History-Contingent Modulation by Means of TMS. J Neurosci 2019; 39:7591-7603. [PMID: 31387915 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2740-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In visual search, the presence of a salient, yet task-irrelevant, distractor in the stimulus array interferes with target selection and slows down performance. Neuroimaging data point to a key role of the frontoparietal dorsal attention network in dealing with visual distractors; however, the respective roles of different nodes within the network and their hemispheric specialization are still unresolved. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to evaluate the causal role of two key regions of the dorsal attention network in resisting attentional capture by a salient singleton distractor: the frontal eye field (FEF) and the cortex within the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). The task of the participants (male/female human volunteers) was to discriminate the pointing direction of a target arrow while ignoring a task-irrelevant salient distractor. Immediately after stimulus onset, triple-pulse 10 Hz TMS was delivered either to IPS or FEF on either side of the brain. Results indicated that TMS over the right FEF significantly reduced the behavioral cost engendered by the salient distractor relative to left FEF stimulation. No such effect was obtained with stimulation of IPS on either side of brain. Interestingly, this FEF-dependent reduction in distractor interference interacted with the contingent trial history, being maximal when no distractor was present on the previous trial relative to when there was one. Our results provide direct causal evidence that the right FEF houses key mechanisms for distractor filtering, pointing to a pivotal role of the frontal cortex of the right hemisphere in limiting interference from an irrelevant but attention-grabbing stimulus.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visually conspicuous stimuli attract our attention automatically and interfere with performance by diverting resources away from the main task. Here, we applied transcranial magnetic stimulation over four frontoparietal cortex locations (frontal eye field and intraparietal sulcus in each hemisphere) to identify regions of the dorsal attention network that help limit interference from task-irrelevant, salient distractors. Results indicate that the right FEF participates in distractor-filtering mechanisms that are recruited when a distracting stimulus is encountered. Moreover, right FEF implements adjustments in distraction-filtering mechanisms following recent encounters with distractors. Together, these findings indicate a different hemispheric contribution of the left versus right dorsal frontal cortex to distraction filtering. This study expands our understanding of how our brains select relevant targets in the face of task-irrelevant, salient distractors.
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17
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Ahrens MM, Veniero D, Freund IM, Harvey M, Thut G. Both dorsal and ventral attention network nodes are implicated in exogenously driven visuospatial anticipation. Cortex 2019; 117:168-181. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Klaus J, Hartwigsen G. Dissociating semantic and phonological contributions of the left inferior frontal gyrus to language production. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3279-3287. [PMID: 30969004 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
While the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in language production is undisputed, the role of specific subregions at different representational levels remains unclear. Some studies suggest a division of anterior and posterior regions for semantic and phonological processing, respectively. Crucially, evidence thus far only comes from correlative neuroimaging studies, but the functional relevance of the involvement of these subregions during a given task remains elusive. We applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over anterior and posterior IFG (aIFG/pIFG), and vertex as a control site, while participants performed a category member and a rhyme generation task. We found a functional-anatomical double dissociation between tasks and subregions. Naming latencies were significantly delayed in the semantic task when rTMS was applied to aIFG (relative to pIFG and vertex). In contrast, we observed a facilitation of naming latencies in the phonological task when rTMS was applied to pIFG (relative to aIFG and vertex). The results provide first causal evidence for the notion that anterior portions of the IFG are selectively recruited for semantic processing while posterior regions are functionally specific for phonological processing during word production. These findings shed light on the functional parcellation of the left IFG in language production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Klaus
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group Modulation of Language Networks, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group Modulation of Language Networks, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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19
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Prashad S, Dedrick ES, To WT, Vanneste S, Filbey FM. Testing the role of the posterior cingulate cortex in processing salient stimuli in cannabis users: an rTMS study. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 50:2357-2369. [PMID: 30290037 PMCID: PMC6767056 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precuneus are hubs in the default mode network and play a role in processing external salient stimuli. Accordingly, activation in these regions has been associated with response to salient stimuli using drug cue‐reactivity paradigms in substance using populations. These studies suggest that the PCC and precuneus may underlie deficits in processing salient stimuli that contribute toward the development of substance use disorders. The goal of this study was to directly test this hypothesis using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Using a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design, we used rTMS to target the PCC and precuneus with a double‐cone coil at 10 Hz (high frequency) and 1 Hz (low frequency) in 10 adult cannabis users and 10 age‐ and sex‐matched non‐using controls. Electroencephalography data were collected before and after rTMS during a modified oddball paradigm with neutral, oddball, self‐relevant, and cannabis‐related stimuli. Cannabis users exhibited increased amplitude in P3 and faster latencies in the P3, N2, and P2 components in response to self‐relevant stimuli compared to controls during baseline that normalized after rTMS. These results suggest that cannabis users exhibited heightened salience to external self‐relevant stimuli that were modulated after rTMS. PCC dysfunction in cannabis users may be related to abnormalities in processing salient stimuli, such those during cue‐reactivity, and provides a potential target for cannabis use disorder intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Prashad
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Dedrick
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Wing Ting To
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
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20
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Sato T, Shapiro MG, Tsao DY. Ultrasonic Neuromodulation Causes Widespread Cortical Activation via an Indirect Auditory Mechanism. Neuron 2018; 98:1031-1041.e5. [PMID: 29804920 PMCID: PMC8127805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasound has received widespread attention as an emerging technology for targeted, non-invasive neuromodulation based on its ability to evoke electrophysiological and motor responses in animals. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal pattern of ultrasound-induced brain activity that could drive these responses. Here, we address this question by combining focused ultrasound with wide-field optical imaging of calcium signals in transgenic mice. Surprisingly, we find cortical activity patterns consistent with indirect activation of auditory pathways rather than direct neuromodulation at the ultrasound focus. Ultrasound-induced activity is similar to that evoked by audible sound. Furthermore, both ultrasound and audible sound elicit motor responses consistent with a startle reflex, with both responses reduced by chemical deafening. These findings reveal an indirect auditory mechanism for ultrasound-induced cortical activity and movement requiring careful consideration in future development of ultrasonic neuromodulation as a tool in neuroscience research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomokazu Sato
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Mikhail G Shapiro
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Doris Y Tsao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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21
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Löfberg O, Julkunen P, Kallioniemi E, Pääkkönen A, Karhu J. Modulation of motor cortical excitability with auditory stimulation. J Neurophysiol 2018; 120:920-925. [PMID: 29742032 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00186.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Loud sounds have been demonstrated to increase motor cortex excitability when transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is synchronized with auditory evoked N100 potential measured from electroencephalography (EEG). The N100 potential is generated by an afferent response to sound onset and feature analysis, and upon novel sound it is also related to the arousal reaction. The arousal reaction is known to originate from the ascending reticular activating system of the brain stem and to modulate neuronal activity throughout the central nervous system. In this study we investigated the difference in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) when deviant and novelty stimuli were randomly interspersed in a train of standard tones. Twelve healthy subjects participated in this study. Three types of sound stimuli were used: 1) standard stimuli (800 Hz), 2) deviant stimuli (560 Hz), and 3) novelty stimuli (12 different sounds). In each stimulus sequence 600 stimuli were given. Of these, 90 were deviant stimuli randomly placed between the standard stimuli. Each of 12 novel sounds was presented once in pseudorandomized order. TMS was randomly mixed with the sound stimuli so that it was either synchronized with the individual N100 or trailed the sound onset by 200 ms. All sounds elicited an increase in motor cortex excitability. The type of sound had no significant effect. We also demonstrated that TMS timed at 200-ms intervals caused a significant increment of MEPs. This contradicted our hypothesis that MEP amplitudes to TMS synchronized with N100 would be greater than those to TMS at 200 ms after a sound and remains unexplained. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrated modulation of motor cortical excitability with parallel auditory stimulus by combining navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with auditory stimuli. TMS was synchronized with auditory evoked potentials considered to be generated by the unconscious attention call process in the auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Löfberg
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland
| | - Petro Julkunen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland.,Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland
| | - Elisa Kallioniemi
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland.,Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland
| | - Ari Pääkkönen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland
| | - Jari Karhu
- Nexstim Plc, Helsinki , Finland.,Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland
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22
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Zeitler M, Tass PA. Computationally Developed Sham Stimulation Protocol for Multichannel Desynchronizing Stimulation. Front Physiol 2018; 9:512. [PMID: 29867556 PMCID: PMC5952302 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A characteristic pattern of abnormal brain activity is abnormally strong neuronal synchronization, as found in several brain disorders, such as tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. As observed in several diseases, different therapeutic interventions may induce a placebo effect that may be strong and hinder reliable clinical evaluations. Hence, to distinguish between specific, neuromodulation-induced effects and unspecific, placebo effects, it is important to mimic the therapeutic procedure as precisely as possibly, thereby providing controls that actually lack specific effects. Coordinated Reset (CR) stimulation has been developed to specifically counteract abnormally strong synchronization by desynchronization. CR is a spatio-temporally patterned multichannel stimulation which reduces the extent of coincident neuronal activity and aims at an anti-kindling, i.e., an unlearning of both synaptic connectivity and neuronal synchrony. Apart from acute desynchronizing effects, CR may cause sustained, long-lasting desynchronizing effects, as already demonstrated in pre-clinical and clinical proof of concept studies. In this computational study, we set out to computationally develop a sham stimulation protocol for multichannel desynchronizing stimulation. To this end, we compare acute effects and long-lasting effects of six different spatio-temporally patterned stimulation protocols, including three variants of CR, using a no-stimulation condition as additional control. This is to provide an inventory of different stimulation algorithms with similar fundamental stimulation parameters (e.g., mean stimulation rates) but qualitatively different acute and/or long-lasting effects. Stimulation protocols sharing basic parameters, but inducing nevertheless completely different or even no acute effects and/or after-effects, might serve as controls to validate the specific effects of particular desynchronizing protocols such as CR. In particular, based on our computational findings we propose a multichannel sham (i.e., inactive) stimulation protocol as control condition for phase 2 and phase 3 studies with desynchronizing multichannel stimulation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magteld Zeitler
- Research Center Jülich, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich, Germany
| | - Peter A Tass
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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23
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Meteyard L, Holmes NP. TMS SMART - Scalp mapping of annoyance ratings and twitches caused by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. J Neurosci Methods 2018; 299:34-44. [PMID: 29471064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The magnetic pulse generated during transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) also stimulates cutaneous nerves and muscle fibres, with the most commonly reported side effect being muscle twitches and sometimes painful sensations. These sensations affect behaviour during experimental tasks, presenting a potential confound for 'online' TMS studies. NEW METHOD Our objective was to systematically map the degree of disturbance (ratings of annoyance, pain, and muscle twitches) caused by TMS at 43 locations across the scalp. Ten participants provided ratings whilst completing a choice reaction time task, and ten different participants provided ratings whilst completing a 'flanker' reaction time task. RESULTS TMS over frontal and inferior regions resulted in the highest ratings of annoyance, pain, and muscle twitches caused by TMS. We predicted the difference in reaction times (RT) under TMS by scalp location and subjective ratings. Frontal and inferior scalp locations showed the greatest cost to RTs under TMS (i.e., slowing), with midline sites showing no or minimal slowing. Increases in subjective ratings of disturbance predicted longer RTs under TMS. Critically, ratings were a better predictor of the cost of TMS than scalp location or scalp-to-cortex distance. The more difficult 'flanker' task showed a greater effect of subjective disturbance. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS We provide the data as an online resource (www.tms-smart.info) so that researchers can select control sites that account for the level of general interference in task performance caused by online single-pulse TMS. CONCLUSIONS The peripheral sensations and discomfort caused by TMS pulses significantly and systematically influence RTs during single-pulse, online TMS experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lotte Meteyard
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, RG6 6AL, United Kingdom.
| | - Nicholas P Holmes
- School of Psychology, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
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24
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Leitão J, Thielscher A, Lee H, Tuennerhoff J, Noppeney U. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of right inferior parietal cortex causally influences prefrontal activation for visual detection. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:2807-2816. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joana Leitão
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre University of Birmingham B15 2TT Birmingham UK
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition Department of Neuroscience University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
| | - Axel Thielscher
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- Department of Electrical Engineering Technical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
- DRCMR Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre Denmark
| | - Hweeling Lee
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn Germany
| | - Johannes Tuennerhoff
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- University Clinic of Neurology Tübingen Germany
| | - Uta Noppeney
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre University of Birmingham B15 2TT Birmingham UK
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25
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Leitão J, Thielscher A, Tuennerhoff J, Noppeney U. Comparing TMS perturbations to occipital and parietal cortices in concurrent TMS-fMRI studies-Methodological considerations. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181438. [PMID: 28767670 PMCID: PMC5540584 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neglect and hemianopia are two neuropsychological syndromes that are associated with reduced awareness for visual signals in patients’ contralesional hemifield. They offer the unique possibility to dissociate the contributions of retino-geniculate and retino-colliculo circuitries in visual perception. Yet, insights from patient fMRI studies are limited by heterogeneity in lesion location and extent, long-term functional reorganization and behavioural compensation after stroke. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has therefore been proposed as a complementary method to investigate the effect of transient perturbations on functional brain organization. This concurrent TMS-fMRI study applied TMS perturbation to occipital and parietal cortices with the aim to ‘mimick’ neglect and hemianopia. Based on the challenges and interpretational limitations of our own study we aim to provide tutorial guidance on how future studies should compare TMS to primary sensory and association areas that are governed by distinct computational principles, neural dynamics and functional architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Leitão
- Max Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Axel Thielscher
- Max Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- DRCMR, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Johannes Tuennerhoff
- Max Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- University Clinic of Neurology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Uta Noppeney
- Max Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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26
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Quartarone A, Rizzo V, Terranova C, Cacciola A, Milardi D, Calamuneri A, Chillemi G, Girlanda P. Therapeutic Use of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Dystonia. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:423. [PMID: 28790883 PMCID: PMC5525337 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are non-invasive methods for stimulating cortical neurons that have been increasingly used in the neurology realm and in the neurosciences applied to movement disorders. In addition, these tools have the potential to be delivered as clinically therapeutic approach. Despite several studies support this hypothesis, there are several limitations related to the extreme variability of the stimulation protocols, clinical enrolment and variability of rTMS and tDCS after effects that make clinical interpretation very difficult. Aim of the present study will be to critically discuss the state of art therapeutically applications of rTMS and tDCS in dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Quartarone
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy.,Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo (IRCCS)Messina, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Rizzo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | - Carmen Terranova
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | | | - Demetrio Milardi
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy.,Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo (IRCCS)Messina, Italy
| | - Alessandro Calamuneri
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | - Gaetana Chillemi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
| | - Paolo Girlanda
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of MessinaMessina, Italy
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Volz LJ, Vollmer M, Michely J, Fink GR, Rothwell JC, Grefkes C. Time-dependent functional role of the contralesional motor cortex after stroke. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 16:165-174. [PMID: 28794977 PMCID: PMC5540833 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
After stroke, movements of the paretic hand rely on altered motor network dynamics typically including additional activation of the contralesional primary motor cortex (M1). The functional implications of contralesional M1 recruitment to date remain a matter of debate. We here assessed the role of contralesional M1 in 12 patients recovering from a first-ever stroke using online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): Short bursts of TMS were administered over contralesional M1 or a control site (occipital vertex) while patients performed different motor tasks with their stroke-affected hand. In the early subacute phase (1–2 weeks post-stroke), we observed significant improvements in maximum finger tapping frequency when interfering with contralesional M1, while maximum grip strength and speeded movement initiation remained unaffected. After > 3 months of motor recovery, disruption of contralesional M1 activity did not interfere with performance in any of the three tasks, similar to what we observed in healthy controls. In patients with mild to moderate motor deficits, contralesional M1 has a task- and time-specific negative influence on motor performance of the stroke-affected hand. Our results help to explain previous contradicting findings on the role of contralesional M1 in recovery of function. Online TMS to contralesional M1 improves movement frequency in subacute but not chronic stroke. No effects were observed for grip strength or speeded movement initiation. Contralesional M1 has a task- and time-specific negative influence on motor performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Volz
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany.,SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - M Vollmer
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany
| | - J Michely
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, UK
| | - G R Fink
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany.,Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Center Jülich, Germany
| | - J C Rothwell
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - C Grefkes
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany.,Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Center Jülich, Germany
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28
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The occipital face area is causally involved in the formation of identity-specific face representations. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:4271-4282. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1467-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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29
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Eštočinová J, Lo Gerfo E, Della Libera C, Chelazzi L, Santandrea E. Augmenting distractor filtering via transcranial magnetic stimulation of the lateral occipital cortex. Cortex 2016; 84:63-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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30
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The Extrastriate Body Area Computes Desired Goal States during Action Planning. eNeuro 2016; 3:eN-NWR-0020-16. [PMID: 27066535 PMCID: PMC4821904 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0020-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
How do object perception and action interact at a neural level? Here we test the hypothesis that perceptual features, processed by the ventral visuoperceptual stream, are used as priors by the dorsal visuomotor stream to specify goal-directed grasping actions. We present three main findings, which were obtained by combining time-resolved transcranial magnetic stimulation and kinematic tracking of grasp-and-rotate object manipulations, in a group of healthy human participants (N = 22). First, the extrastriate body area (EBA), in the ventral stream, provides an initial structure to motor plans, based on current and desired states of a grasped object and of the grasping hand. Second, the contributions of EBA are earlier in time than those of a caudal intraparietal region known to specify the action plan. Third, the contributions of EBA are particularly important when desired and current object configurations differ, and multiple courses of actions are possible. These findings specify the temporal and functional characteristics for a mechanism that integrates perceptual processing with motor planning.
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31
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Mohapatra S, Harrington R, Chan E, Dromerick AW, Breceda EY, Harris-Love M. Role of contralesional hemisphere in paretic arm reaching in patients with severe arm paresis due to stroke: A preliminary report. Neurosci Lett 2016; 617:52-8. [PMID: 26872851 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Stroke is highly prevalent and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability among American adults. Impaired movement (i.e. paresis) of the stroke-affected arm is a major contributor to post-stroke disability, yet the mechanisms of upper extremity motor recovery are poorly understood, particularly in severely impaired patients who lack hand function. To address this problem, we examined the functional relevance of the contralesional hemisphere in paretic arm motor performance in individuals with severe arm paresis. Twelve individuals with severe stroke-induced arm paresis (Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment=17.1 ± 8.5; maximum score=66) participated in the study. Participants performed a reaching response time task with their paretic arm. At varying time intervals following a 'Go' cue, a pair of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses were delivered to contralesional hemisphere primary motor (M1) or dorsal pre-motor cortex (PMd) to momentarily disrupt the pattern of neural firing. Response time components and hand-path characteristics were compared across the 2 sites for trials with and without TMS disruption. There was no significant effect of TMS disruption on overall Response time or Reaction time, but Movement time was significantly longer (i.e. slower) with disruption of the contralesional hemisphere (p=0.015), regardless of which area was stimulated. Peak hand-path velocity and hand-path smoothness were also significantly lower (p=0.005 and p<0.0001, respectively) with TMS disruption of the contralesional hemisphere. The data from this study provide evidence supporting a functionally relevant role of contralesional hemisphere motor areas in paretic arm reaching movements in individuals with severe post-stroke arm impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachael Harrington
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington DC, USA; Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, USA
| | - Evan Chan
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington DC, USA; MedStar Health Research Institute, Columbia, MD, USA
| | - Alexander W Dromerick
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington DC, USA; Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, USA; Washington DC VA Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Erika Y Breceda
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington DC, USA; MedStar Health Research Institute, Columbia, MD, USA; Washington DC VA Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Michelle Harris-Love
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington DC, USA; Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, USA; George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
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32
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Adaptive behavior relies on combining bottom-up sensory inputs with top-down control signals to guide responses in line with current goals and task demands. Over the past decade, accumulating evidence has suggested that the dorsal and ventral frontoparietal attentional systems are recruited interactively in this process. This fMRI study used concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a causal perturbation approach to investigate the interactions between dorsal and ventral attentional systems and sensory processing areas. In a sustained spatial attention paradigm, human participants detected weak visual targets that were presented in the lower-left visual field on 50% of the trials. Further, we manipulated the presence/absence of task-irrelevant auditory signals. Critically, on each trial we applied 10 Hz bursts of four TMS (or Sham) pulses to the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). IPS-TMS relative to Sham-TMS increased activation in the parietal cortex regardless of sensory stimulation, confirming the neural effectiveness of TMS stimulation. Visual targets increased activations in the anterior insula, a component of the ventral attentional system responsible for salience detection. Conversely, they decreased activations in the ventral visual areas. Importantly, IPS-TMS abolished target-evoked activation increases in the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) of the ventral attentional system, whereas it eliminated target-evoked activation decreases in the right fusiform. Our results demonstrate that IPS-TMS exerts profound directional causal influences not only on visual areas but also on the TPJ as a critical component of the ventral attentional system. They reveal a complex interplay between dorsal and ventral attentional systems during target detection under sustained spatial attention. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adaptive behavior relies on combining bottom-up sensory inputs with top-down attentional control. Although the dorsal and ventral frontoparietal systems are key players in attentional control, their distinct contributions remain unclear. In this TMS-fMRI study, participants attended to the left visual field to detect weak visual targets presented on half of the trials. We applied brief TMS bursts (or Sham-TMS) to the dorsal intraparietal sulcus (IPS) 100 ms after visual stimulus onset. IPS-TMS abolished the visual induced response suppression in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex and the response enhancement to visual targets in the temporoparietal junction. Our results demonstrate that IPS causally influences neural activity in the ventral attentional system 100 ms poststimulus. They have important implications for our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying attentional control.
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Hartwigsen G, Bergmann TO, Herz DM, Angstmann S, Karabanov A, Raffin E, Thielscher A, Siebner HR. Modeling the effects of noninvasive transcranial brain stimulation at the biophysical, network, and cognitive level. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2015; 222:261-87. [PMID: 26541384 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Noninvasive transcranial brain stimulation (NTBS) is widely used to elucidate the contribution of different brain regions to various cognitive functions. Here we present three modeling approaches that are informed by functional or structural brain mapping or behavior profiling and discuss how these approaches advance the scientific potential of NTBS as an interventional tool in cognitive neuroscience. (i) Leveraging the anatomical information provided by structural imaging, the electric field distribution in the brain can be modeled and simulated. Biophysical modeling approaches generate testable predictions regarding the impact of interindividual variations in cortical anatomy on the injected electric fields or the influence of the orientation of current flow on the physiological stimulation effects. (ii) Functional brain mapping of the spatiotemporal neural dynamics during cognitive tasks can be used to construct causal network models. These models can identify spatiotemporal changes in effective connectivity during distinct cognitive states and allow for examining how effective connectivity is shaped by NTBS. (iii) Modeling the NTBS effects based on neuroimaging can be complemented by behavior-based cognitive models that exploit variations in task performance. For instance, NTBS-induced changes in response speed and accuracy can be explicitly modeled in a cognitive framework accounting for the speed-accuracy trade-off. This enables to dissociate between behavioral NTBS effects that emerge in the context of rapid automatic responses or in the context of slow deliberate responses. We argue that these complementary modeling approaches facilitate the use of NTBS as a means of dissecting the causal architecture of cognitive systems of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Hartwigsen
- Department of Psychology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Til Ole Bergmann
- Department of Psychology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Damian Marc Herz
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Steffen Angstmann
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Anke Karabanov
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Estelle Raffin
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, Research Centre U836 Inserm-UJF, Team 11 Brain Function & Neuromodulation, Grenoble, France
| | - Axel Thielscher
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Biomedical Engineering Section, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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34
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Reeder RR, Perini F, Peelen MV. Preparatory Activity in Posterior Temporal Cortex Causally Contributes to Object Detection in Scenes. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:2117-25. [PMID: 26102225 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Theories of visual selective attention propose that top-down preparatory attention signals mediate the selection of task-relevant information in cluttered scenes. Neuroimaging and electrophysiology studies have provided correlative evidence for this hypothesis, finding increased activity in target-selective neural populations in visual cortex in the period between a search cue and target onset. In this study, we used online TMS to test whether preparatory neural activity in visual cortex is causally involved in naturalistic object detection. In two experiments, participants detected the presence of object categories (cars, people) in a diverse set of photographs of real-world scenes. TMS was applied over a region in posterior temporal cortex identified by fMRI as carrying category-specific preparatory activity patterns. Results showed that TMS applied over posterior temporal cortex before scene onset (-200 and -100 msec) impaired the detection of object categories in subsequently presented scenes, relative to vertex and early visual cortex stimulation. This effect was specific to category level detection and was related to the type of attentional template participants adopted, with the strongest effects observed in participants adopting category level templates. These results provide evidence for a causal role of preparatory attention in mediating the detection of objects in cluttered daily-life environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reshanne R Reeder
- University of Trento.,Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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35
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Duecker F, Sack AT. Rethinking the role of sham TMS. Front Psychol 2015; 6:210. [PMID: 25767458 PMCID: PMC4341423 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sham transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approaches are widely used in basic and clinical research to ensure that observed effects are due to the intended neural manipulation instead of being caused by various possible side effects. We here critically discuss several methodological aspects of sham TMS. Importantly, we propose to carefully distinguish between the placebo versus sensory side effects of TMS. In line with this conceptual distinction, we describe current limitations of sham TMS approaches in the context of placebo effects and blinding success, followed by a short review of our own work demonstrating that the sensory side effects of sham TMS are not unspecific as often falsely assumed. Lastly, we argue that sham TMS approaches are inherently insufficient as full-fledged control conditions as they fail to demonstrate the specificity of TMS effects to a particular brain area or time point of stimulation. Sham TMS should therefore only complement alternative control strategies in TMS research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Duecker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University , Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University , Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University , Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University , Maastricht, Netherlands
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36
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de Graaf TA, Duecker F, Fernholz MHP, Sack AT. Spatially specific vs. unspecific disruption of visual orientation perception using chronometric pre-stimulus TMS. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:5. [PMID: 25688194 PMCID: PMC4311643 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over occipital cortex can impair visual processing. Such "TMS masking" has repeatedly been shown at several stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), with TMS pulses generally applied after the onset of a visual stimulus. Following increased interest in the neuronal state-dependency of visual processing, we recently explored the efficacy of TMS at "negative SOAs", when no visual processing can yet occur. We could reveal pre-stimulus TMS disruption, with results moreover hinting at two separate mechanisms in occipital cortex biasing subsequent orientation perception. Here we extended this work, including a chronometric design to map the temporal dynamics of spatially specific and unspecific mechanisms of state-dependent visual processing, while moreover controlling for TMS-induced pupil covering. TMS pulses applied 60-40 ms prior to a visual stimulus decreased orientation processing independent of stimulus location, while a local suppressive effect was found for TMS applied 30-10 ms pre-stimulus. These results contribute to our understanding of spatiotemporal mechanisms in occipital cortex underlying the state-dependency of visual processing, providing a basis for future work to link pre-stimulus TMS suppression effects to other known visual biasing mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A de Graaf
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Felix Duecker
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Martin H P Fernholz
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
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37
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Opitz A, Legon W, Mueller J, Barbour A, Paulus W, Tyler WJ. Is sham cTBS real cTBS? The effect on EEG dynamics. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 8:1043. [PMID: 25620925 PMCID: PMC4287020 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing sensitivity of modern evaluation tools allows for the study of weaker electric stimulation effects on neural populations. In the current study we examined the effects of sham continuous theta burst (cTBS) transcranial magnetic stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) upon somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and frontal-parietal phase coupling of alpha and beta bands. Sham TMS results in an induced electric field amplitude roughly 5% that of real TMS with a similar spatial extent in cortex. Both real and sham cTBS reduced the amplitude of the frontal P14-N30 SEP and increased local phase coupling in the alpha-beta frequency bands of left frontal cortex. In addition, both sham and real cTBS increased frontal-parietal phase coupling in the alpha-beta bands concomitant with an increase in amplitude of parietal P50-N70 complex. These data suggest that weak electric fields from sham cTBS can affect both local and downstream neuronal circuits, though in a different manner than high strength TMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Opitz
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany ; Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Orangeburg, NY, USA ; Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute New York, NY, USA
| | - Wynn Legon
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jerel Mueller
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Aaron Barbour
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Walter Paulus
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - William J Tyler
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University Tempe, AZ, USA
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38
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Dambacher F, Sack AT, Lobbestael J, Arntz A, Brugmann S, Schuhmann T. The Role of Right Prefrontal and Medial Cortex in Response Inhibition: Interfering with Action Restraint and Action Cancellation Using Transcranial Magnetic Brain Stimulation. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:1775-84. [PMID: 24564464 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The ability of inhibiting impulsive urges is paramount for human behavior. Such successful response inhibition has consistently been associated with activity in pFC. The current study aims to unravel the differential involvement of different areas within right pFC for successful action restraint versus action cancellation. These two conceptually different aspects of action inhibition were measured with a go/no-go task (action restraint) and a stop signal task (action cancellation). Localization of relevant prefrontal activation was based on fMRI data. Significant task-related activation during successful action restraint was localized for each participant individually in right anterior insula (rAI), right superior frontal gyrus, and pre-SMA. Activation during successful action cancellation was localized in rAI, right middle frontal gyrus, and pre-SMA. Subsequently, fMRI-guided continuous thetaburst stimulation was applied to these regions. Results showed that the disruption of neural activity in rAI reduced both the ability to restrain (go/no-go) and cancel (stop signal) responses. In contrast, continuous thetaburst stimulation-induced disruption of the right superior frontal gyrus specifically impaired the ability to restrain from responding (go/no-go), while leaving the ability for action cancellation largely intact. Stimulation applied to right middle frontal gyrus and pre-SMA did not affect inhibitory processing in neither of the two tasks. These findings provide a more comprehensive perspective on the role of pFC in inhibition and cognitive control. The results emphasize the role of inferior frontal regions for global inhibition, whereas superior frontal regions seem to be specifically relevant for successful action restraint.
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39
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Cattaneo Z, Lega C, Gardelli C, Merabet LB, Cela-Conde CJ, Nadal M. The role of prefrontal and parietal cortices in esthetic appreciation of representational and abstract art: a TMS study. Neuroimage 2014; 99:443-50. [PMID: 24857715 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To explain the biological foundations of art appreciation is to explain one of our species' distinctive traits. Previous neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies have pointed to the prefrontal and the parietal cortex as two critical regions mediating esthetic appreciation of visual art. In this study, we applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left prefrontal cortex and the right posterior parietal cortex while participants were evaluating whether they liked, and by how much, a particular painting. By depolarizing cell membranes in the targeted regions, TMS transiently interferes with the activity of specific cortical areas, which allows clarifying their role in a given task. Our results show that both regions play a fundamental role in mediating esthetic appreciation. Critically though, the effects of TMS varied depending on the type of art considered (i.e. representational vs. abstract) and on participants' a-priori inclination toward one or the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaira Cattaneo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milano, Italy; Brain Connectivity Center, IRCCS Mondino, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Carlotta Lega
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Gardelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Lotfi B Merabet
- The Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, MA Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | | | - Marcos Nadal
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna, Austria
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40
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Stolk A, Noordzij ML, Volman I, Verhagen L, Overeem S, van Elswijk G, Bloem B, Hagoort P, Toni I. Understanding communicative actions: A repetitive TMS study. Cortex 2014; 51:25-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2013] [Revised: 08/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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41
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Duecker F, de Graaf TA, Jacobs C, Sack AT. Time- and task-dependent non-neural effects of real and sham TMS. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73813. [PMID: 24040080 PMCID: PMC3763998 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is widely used in experimental brain research to manipulate brain activity in humans. Next to the intended neural effects, every TMS pulse produces a distinct clicking sound and sensation on the head which can also influence task performance. This necessitates careful consideration of control conditions in order to ensure that behavioral effects of interest can be attributed to the neural consequences of TMS and not to non-neural effects of a TMS pulse. Surprisingly, even though these non-neural effects of TMS are largely unknown, they are often assumed to be unspecific, i.e. not dependent on TMS parameters. This assumption is inherent to many control strategies in TMS research but has recently been challenged on empirical grounds. Here, we further develop the empirical basis of control strategies in TMS research. We investigated the time-dependence and task-dependence of the non-neural effects of TMS and compared real and sham TMS over vertex. Critically, we show that non-neural TMS effects depend on a complex interplay of these factors. Although TMS had no direct neural effects, both pre- and post-stimulus TMS time windows modulated task performance on both a sensory detection task and a cognitive angle judgment task. For the most part, these effects were quantitatively similar across tasks but effect sizes were clearly different. Moreover, the effects of real and sham TMS were almost identical with interesting exceptions that shed light on the relative contribution of auditory and somato-sensory aspects of a TMS pulse. Knowledge of such effects is of critical importance for the interpretation of TMS experiments and helps deciding what constitutes an appropriate control condition. Our results broaden the empirical basis of control strategies in TMS research and point at potential pitfalls that should be avoided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Duecker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tom A. de Graaf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christianne Jacobs
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander T. Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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