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Trajkovic J, Sack AT, Romei V. EEG-based biomarkers predict individual differences in TMS-induced entrainment of intrinsic brain rhythms. Brain Stimul 2024; 17:224-232. [PMID: 38428585 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2024.02.016] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Entrainment (increase) and modulation (shift) of intrinsic brain oscillations via rhythmic-TMS (rh-TMS) enables to either increase the amplitude of the individual peak oscillatory frequency, or experimentally slowing/accelerating this intrinsic peak oscillatory frequency by slightly shifting it. Both entrainment, and modulation of brain oscillations can lead to different measurable perceptual and cognitive changes. However, there are noticeable between-participant differences in such experimental entrainment outcomes. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS The current study aimed at explaining these inter-individual differences in entrainment/frequency shift success. Here we hypothesize that the width and the height of the Arnold tongue, i.e., the frequency offsets that can still lead to oscillatory change, can be individually modelled via resting-state neural markers, and may explain and predict efficacy and limitation of successful rhythmic-TMS (rh-TMS) manipulation. METHODS Spectral decomposition of resting-state data was used to extract the spectral curve of alpha activity, serving as a proxy of an individual Arnold tongue. These parameters were then used as predictors of the rh-TMS outcome, when increasing alpha-amplitude (i.e., applying pulse train tuned to the individual alpha frequency, IAF), or modulating the alpha-frequency (i.e., making alpha faster or slower by stimulating at IAF±1Hz frequencies). RESULTS Our results showed that the height of the at-rest alpha curve predicted how well the entrainment increased the intrinsic oscillatory peak frequency, with a higher at-rest spectral curve negatively predicting amplitude-enhancement during entrainment selectively during IAF-stimulation. In contrast, the wider the resting-state alpha curve, the higher the modulation effects aiming to shift the intrinsic frequency towards faster or slower rhythms. CONCLUSION These results not only offer a theoretical and experimental model for explaining the variance across different rh-TMS studies reporting heterogenous rh-TMS outcomes, but also introduce a potential biomarker and corresponding evaluative tool to develop most optimal and personalized rh-TMS protocols, both in research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Trajkovic
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ER, the Netherlands; Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ER, the Netherlands
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, 47521, Italy; Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, 28015, Spain.
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Akaiwa M, Matsuda Y, Kurokawa R, Sugawara Y, Kosuge R, Saito H, Shibata E, Sasaki T, Sugawara K, Kozuka N. Does 20 Hz Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation over the Human Primary Motor Cortex Modulate Beta Rebound Following Voluntary Movement? Brain Sci 2024; 14:74. [PMID: 38248289 PMCID: PMC10813667 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Beta frequency oscillations originating from the primary motor cortex increase in amplitude following the initiation of voluntary movement, a process termed beta rebound. The strength of beta rebound has been reported to predict the recovery of motor function following stroke, suggesting therapeutic applications of beta rebound modulation. The present study examined the effect of 20 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on the beta rebound induced by self-paced voluntary movement. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) and electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded from 16 healthy adults during voluntary movements performed before and after active or sham tACS. There was no significant change in average beta rebound after active tACS. However, the beta rebound amplitude was significantly enhanced in a subset of participants, and the magnitude of the increase across all participants was negatively correlated with the difference between individual peak beta frequency and tACS frequency. Thus, matching the stimulus frequency of tACS with individual beta frequency may facilitate therapeutic enhancement for motor rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayu Akaiwa
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Yuya Matsuda
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Ryo Kurokawa
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Yasushi Sugawara
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Rin Kosuge
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Saito
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
| | - Eriko Shibata
- Major of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Healthcare and Science, Hokkaido Bunkyo University, Eniwa 061-1449, Japan;
| | - Takeshi Sasaki
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan; (T.S.); (K.S.); (N.K.)
| | - Kazuhiro Sugawara
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan; (T.S.); (K.S.); (N.K.)
| | - Naoki Kozuka
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan; (T.S.); (K.S.); (N.K.)
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Michael E, Covarrubias LS, Leong V, Kourtzi Z. Learning at your brain's rhythm: individualized entrainment boosts learning for perceptual decisions. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:5382-5394. [PMID: 36352510 PMCID: PMC10152088 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Training is known to improve our ability to make decisions when interacting in complex environments. However, individuals vary in their ability to learn new tasks and acquire new skills in different settings. Here, we test whether this variability in learning ability relates to individual brain oscillatory states. We use a visual flicker paradigm to entrain individuals at their own brain rhythm (i.e. peak alpha frequency) as measured by resting-state electroencephalography (EEG). We demonstrate that this individual frequency-matched brain entrainment results in faster learning in a visual identification task (i.e. detecting targets embedded in background clutter) compared to entrainment that does not match an individual's alpha frequency. Further, we show that learning is specific to the phase relationship between the entraining flicker and the visual target stimulus. EEG during entrainment showed that individualized alpha entrainment boosts alpha power, induces phase alignment in the pre-stimulus period, and results in shorter latency of early visual evoked potentials, suggesting that brain entrainment facilitates early visual processing to support improved perceptual decisions. These findings suggest that individualized brain entrainment may boost perceptual learning by altering gain control mechanisms in the visual cortex, indicating a key role for individual neural oscillatory states in learning and brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Michael
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | | | - Victoria Leong
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore 6398818, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU, Singapore 308232, Singapore
| | - Zoe Kourtzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
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Halpin SJ, Casson AJ, Tang NKY, Jones AKP, O'Connor RJ, Sivan M. A feasibility study of pre-sleep audio and visual alpha brain entrainment for people with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1096084. [PMID: 36910250 PMCID: PMC9996154 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1096084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chronic pain and sleep disturbance are bi-directionally related. Cortical electrical activity in the alpha frequency band can be enhanced with sensory stimulation via the phenomenon of entrainment, and may reduce pain perception. A smartphone based programme which delivers 10 Hz stimulation through flickering light or binaural beats was developed for use at night, pre-sleep, with the aim of improving night time pain and sleep and thereby subsequent pain and related daytime symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and give an indication of effect of this programme for individuals with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. Materials and methods In a non-controlled feasibility study participants used audio or visual alpha entrainment for 30 min pre-sleep each night for 4 weeks, following a 1 week baseline period. The study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the ID NCT04176861. Results 28 participants (79% female, mean age 45 years) completed the study with high levels of data completeness (86%) and intervention adherence (92%). Daily sleep diaries showed an increase compared to baseline in total sleep time of 29 min (p = 0.0033), reduction in sleep onset latency of 13 min (p = 0.0043), and increase in sleep efficiency of 4.7% (p = 0.0009). Daily 0-10 numerical rating scale of average pain at night improved by 0.5 points compared to baseline (p = 0.027). Standardised questionnaires showed significant within-participant improvements in sleep quality (change in median Global PSQI from 16 to 12.5), pain interference (change in median BPI Pain Interference from 7.5 to 6.8), fatigue (change in median MFI total score from 82.5 to 77), and depression and anxiety (change in median HADS depression score from 12 to 10.5 and anxiety from 13.5 to 11). Discussion Pre-sleep use of a smartphone programme for alpha entrainment by audio or visual stimulation was feasible for individuals with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. The effect on symptoms requires further exploration in controlled studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Halpin
- Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.,Human Pain Research Group, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander J Casson
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole K Y Tang
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Warwick, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony K P Jones
- Human Pain Research Group, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Rory J O'Connor
- Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Manoj Sivan
- Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.,Human Pain Research Group, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Keitel C, Ruzzoli M, Dugué L, Busch NA, Benwell CSY. Rhythms in cognition: The evidence revisited. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2991-3009. [PMID: 35696729 PMCID: PMC9544967 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuela Ruzzoli
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Laura Dugué
- Université Paris Cité, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Niko A Busch
- Institute for Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Janssens SEW, Oever ST, Sack AT, de Graaf TA. "Broadband Alpha Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation": Exploring a new biologically calibrated brain stimulation protocol. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119109. [PMID: 35306159 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can be used to study causal contributions of oscillatory brain mechanisms to cognition and behavior. For instance, individual alpha frequency (IAF) tACS was reported to enhance alpha power and impact visuospatial attention performance. Unfortunately, such results have been inconsistent and difficult to replicate. In tACS, stimulation generally involves one frequency, sometimes individually calibrated to a peak value observed in an M/EEG power spectrum. Yet, the 'peak' actually observed in such power spectra often contains a broader range of frequencies, raising the question whether a biologically calibrated tACS protocol containing this fuller range of alpha-band frequencies might be more effective. Here, we introduce 'Broadband-alpha-tACS', a complex individually calibrated electrical stimulation protocol. We band-pass filtered left posterior resting-state EEG data around the IAF (± 2 Hz), and converted that time series into an electrical waveform for tACS stimulation of that same left posterior parietal cortex location. In other words, we stimulated a brain region with a 'replay' of its own alpha-band frequency content, based on spontaneous activity. Within-subjects (N = 24), we compared to a sham tACS session the effects of broadband-alpha tACS, power-matched spectral inverse ('alpha-removed') control tACS, and individual alpha frequency (IAF) tACS, on EEG alpha power and performance in an endogenous attention task previously reported to be affected by alpha tACS. Broadband-alpha-tACS significantly modulated attention task performance (i.e., reduced the rightward visuospatial attention bias in trials without distractors, and reduced attention benefits). Alpha-removed tACS also reduced the rightward visuospatial attention bias. IAF-tACS did not significantly modulate attention task performance compared to sham tACS, but also did not statistically significantly differ from broadband-alpha-tACS. This new broadband-alpha-tACS approach seems promising, but should be further explored and validated in future studies.
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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, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Sanne Ten Oever
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain+Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Tom A de Graaf
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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Janssens SEW, Sack AT. Spontaneous Fluctuations in Oscillatory Brain State Cause Differences in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Effects Within and Between Individuals. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:802244. [PMID: 34924982 PMCID: PMC8674306 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.802244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can cause measurable effects on neural activity and behavioral performance in healthy volunteers. In addition, TMS is increasingly used in clinical practice for treating various neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, TMS-induced effects show large intra- and inter-subject variability, hindering its reliability, and efficacy. One possible source of this variability may be the spontaneous fluctuations of neuronal oscillations. We present recent studies using multimodal TMS including TMS-EMG (electromyography), TMS-tACS (transcranial alternating current stimulation), and concurrent TMS-EEG-fMRI (electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging), to evaluate how individual oscillatory brain state affects TMS signal propagation within targeted networks. We demonstrate how the spontaneous oscillatory state at the time of TMS influences both immediate and longer-lasting TMS effects. These findings indicate that at least part of the variability in TMS efficacy may be attributable to the current practice of ignoring (spontaneous) oscillatory fluctuations during TMS. Ignoring this state-dependent spread of activity may cause great individual variability which so far is poorly understood and has proven impossible to control. We therefore also compare two technical solutions to directly account for oscillatory state during TMS, namely, to use (a) tACS to externally control these oscillatory states and then apply TMS at the optimal (controlled) brain state, or (b) oscillatory state-triggered TMS (closed-loop TMS). The described multimodal TMS approaches are paramount for establishing more robust TMS effects, and to allow enhanced control over the individual outcome of TMS interventions aimed at modulating information flow in the brain to achieve desirable changes in cognition, mood, and behavior.
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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, Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain + Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, Netherlands.,Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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