The effect of intermittent theta-burst stimulation on the depressed brain: a sham controlled study with near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are BOTH important nodes for self-control and decision-making but through separable processes (cognitive control vs evaluative processing). This study aimed to examine the effects of excitatory brain stimulation [intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS)] targeting the dlPFC and dmPFC on eating behavior. iTBS was hypothesized to decrease consumption of appetitive snack foods, via enhanced interference control for dlPFC stimulation and reduced delay discounting (DD) for dmPFC stimulation. Using a single-blinded, between-subjects design, participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned to ONE OF three conditions: (i) iTBS targeting the left dlPFC, (ii) iTBS targeting bilateral dmPFC or (iii) sham. Participants then completed two cognitive tasks (DD and Flanker), followed by a BOGUS taste test. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging revealed that increases in the medial prefrontal cortex activity were evident in the dmPFC stimulation group during the DD task; likewise, a neural efficiency effect was observed in the dlPFC stimulation group during the Flanker. Gender significantly moderated during the taste test, with females in the dmPFC showing paradoxical increases in food consumption compared to sham. Findings suggest that amplification of evaluative processing may facilitate eating indulgence when preponderant social cues are permissive and food is appetitive.

Download Full-text

P344: Inhibitory theta burst stimulation of affected hemisphere in chronic stroke: a proof of principle, sham-controlled study

Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/s1388-2457(14)50459-2 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 125 ◽

pp. S139-S140

Author(s):

M. Dileone ◽

F. Ranieri ◽

G. Musumeci ◽

F. Capone ◽

P. Talelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Stroke ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Theta Burst Stimulation ◽

Burst Stimulation ◽

Theta Burst ◽

Proof Of Principle ◽

Stimulation Of

Download Full-text

Effect of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation on the Neural Processing of Emotional Stimuli in Healthy Volunteers

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112449 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2449

Author(s):

Virginie Moulier ◽

Christian Gaudeau-Bosma ◽

Fanny Thomas ◽

Clémence Isaac ◽

Maxence Thomas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Subjects ◽

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Brain Anatomy ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Emotional Stimuli ◽

Theta Burst Stimulation ◽

Burst Stimulation ◽

Theta Burst

Background: Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation that has shown to be effective in treatment-resistant depression. Through studying the effect of iTBS on healthy subjects, we wished to attain a greater understanding of its impact on the brain. Our objective was to assess whether 10 iTBS sessions altered the neural processing of emotional stimuli, mood and brain anatomy in healthy subjects. Methods: In this double-blind randomized sham-controlled study, 30 subjects received either active iTBS treatment (10 sessions, two sessions a day) or sham treatment over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Assessments of mood, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI (fMRI) were performed before and after iTBS sessions. During the fMRI, three different categories of stimuli were presented: positive, negative and neutral photographs. Results: This study showed that, during the presentation of negative stimuli (compared with neutral stimuli), 10 sessions of iTBS increased activity in the left anterior insula. However, iTBS did not induce any change in mood, regional gray matter volume or cortical thickness. Conclusions: iTBS modifies healthy subjects’ brain activity in a key region that processes emotional stimuli. (AFSSAPS: ID-RCB 2010A01032-37).

Download Full-text