scholarly journals Slow rTMS to the left DLPFC enhances verbal memory formation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mircea van der Plas ◽  
Verena Braun ◽  
Benjamin Johannes Stauch ◽  
Simon Hanslmayr

AbstractEncoding of episodic memories relies on stimulus-specific information processing and involves the left prefrontal cortex. We here present an incidental finding from a simultaneous EEG-TMS experiment as well as a replication of this unexpected effect. Our results reveal that stimulating the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) leads to enhanced word memory performance. 40 healthy human participants engaged in a list learning paradigm. Half of the subjects (N=20) received 1 Hz rTMS to the left DLPFC while the other half (N=20) received 1 Hz rTMS to the vertex and served as a control group. Subjects receiving left DLPFC stimulation demonstrated enhanced memory performance compared to the control group. This effect was replicated in a double-blind within-subjects experiment where 24 participants received 1 Hz rTMS to the left DLPFC and vertex. In this second experiment, DLPFC stimulation also induced better memory performance compared to vertex stimulation. In addition to these behavioural effects, we found that 1 Hz rTMS to DLPFC induced stronger beta power modulation in posterior areas, a state which is known to be beneficial for memory encoding. Further analysis indicated, that beta modulations did not have an oscillatory origin. Instead, the observed beta modulations were a result of a spectral tilt, suggesting inhibition of these parietal regions. These results show that applying 1 Hz rTMS to DLPFC, an area involved in episodic memory formation, improves memory performance via modulating neural activity in parietal regions.

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. e3001363
Author(s):  
Mircea van der Plas ◽  
Verena Braun ◽  
Benjamin Johannes Stauch ◽  
Simon Hanslmayr

Encoding of episodic memories relies on stimulus-specific information processing and involves the left prefrontal cortex. We here present an incidental finding from a simultaneous EEG-TMS experiment as well as a replication of this unexpected effect. Our results reveal that stimulating the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) leads to enhanced word memory performance. A total of 40 healthy human participants engaged in a list learning paradigm. Half of the participants (N = 20) received 1 Hz rTMS to the left DLPFC, while the other half (N = 20) received 1 Hz rTMS to the vertex and served as a control group. Participants receiving left DLPFC stimulation demonstrated enhanced memory performance compared to the control group. This effect was replicated in a within-subjects experiment where 24 participants received 1 Hz rTMS to the left DLPFC and vertex. In this second experiment, DLPFC stimulation also induced better memory performance compared to vertex stimulation. In addition to these behavioural effects, we found that 1 Hz rTMS to DLPFC induced stronger beta power modulation in posterior areas, a state that is known to be beneficial for memory encoding. Further analysis indicated that beta modulations did not have an oscillatory origin. Instead, the observed beta modulations were a result of a spectral tilt, suggesting inhibition of these parietal regions. These results show that applying 1 Hz rTMS to DLPFC, an area involved in episodic memory formation, improves memory performance via modulating neural activity in parietal regions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Hsuan Tseng ◽  
Kaori Tamura ◽  
Tsuyoshi Okamoto

Abstract Understanding and improving memory is vital to enhance human life. Theta rhythm is associated with memory consolidation and coding, but the trainability and effects on long-term memory of theta rhythm are unknown. This study investigates the ability to improve long-term memory using a neurofeedback (NFB) technique reflecting the theta/low-beta power ratio on an electroencephalogram (EEG). Our study consisted of three stages: First, the long-term memory of participants was measured. In the second stage, the participants in the NFB group received three days of theta/low-beta NFB training. In the third stage, the long-term memory was measured again. The NFB group had better long-term memory than the control group and significant differences in brain activity between episodic and semantic memory during the recall tests were revealed. These findings suggest that it is possible to improve the long-term memory abilities through theta/low-beta NFB training, which also improves episodic and semantic memory.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonore Bovy ◽  
Ruud M.W.J. Berkers ◽  
Julia Pottkämper ◽  
Rathiga Varatheesvaran ◽  
Guillén Fernández ◽  
...  

AbstractMemory bias for negative information is a critical characteristic of major depression, but the underlying neural mechanisms are largely unknown. The recently revived concept of memory schemas may shed new light on memory bias in depression: negative schemas might enhance the encoding and consolidation of negative experiences, thereby contributing to the genesis and perpetuation of depressive pathology. To investigate this relationship, we aimed to transiently perturb processing in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a core region involved in schema memory, using neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the mPFC. Forty healthy volunteers first underwent a negative mood induction to activate negative schema processing after which they received either active inhibitory (N = 20) or control (N = 20) stimulation to the mPFC. Then, all participants performed the encoding of an emotional false memory task. Recall and recognition performance was tested the following morning. Polysomnographic data was recorded continuously during the night before and after encoding. Secondary measures included sleep and mood questionnaires. We observed a significantly lower number of false recognition of negative critical lures following mPFC perturbation compared to the control group, whereas no differences in veridical memory performance were observed. These findings were supported by reaction time data. No relation between REM sleep and (false) emotional memory performance was observed. These findings support previous causal evidence for a role of the mPFC in schema memory processing and further suggest a role of the mPFC in memory bias.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Meconi ◽  
Sarah Anderl-Straub ◽  
Heidelore Raum ◽  
Michael Landgrebe ◽  
Berthold Langguth ◽  
...  

AbstractVerbal episodic memory is one of the core cognitive functions affected in patients suffering from schizophrenia (SZ). Although this verbal memory impairment in SZ is a well-known finding, our understanding about its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms is rather scarce. Here we address this issue by recording brain oscillations during a memory task in a sample of healthy controls and patients suffering from SZ. Brain oscillations represent spectral fingerprints of specific neurocognitive operations and are therefore a promising tool to identify neurocognitive mechanisms that are affected by SZ. Healthy controls showed a prominent suppression of left prefrontal beta oscillatory activity during successful memory formation, which replicates several previous oscillatory memory studies. In contrast, patients failed to exhibit such left prefrontal beta power suppression. Utilizing a new topographical pattern similarity approach, we further demonstrate that the degree of similarity between a patient's beta power decrease to that of the controls reliably predicted memory performance. This relationship between beta power decreases and memory was such that the patients' memory performance improved as they showed a more similar topographical beta desynchronization pattern compared to that of healthy controls. These findings suggest that left prefrontal beta power suppression (or lack thereof) during memory encoding is a possible biomarker for the observed encoding impairments in SZ in verbal memory. This lack of left prefrontal beta power decreases might indicate a specific semantic processing deficit of verbal material in patients with schizophrenia.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1158-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Galea ◽  
Neil B. Albert ◽  
Thomas Ditye ◽  
R. Chris Miall

In explicit sequence learning tasks, an improvement in performance (skill) typically occurs after sleep—leading to the recent literature on sleep-dependent motor consolidation. Consolidation can also be facilitated during wakefulness if declarative knowledge for the sequence is reduced through a secondary cognitive task. Accordingly, declarative and procedural consolidation processes appear to mutually interact. Here we used TMS to test the hypothesis that functions in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) that support declarative memory formation indirectly reduce the formation of procedural representations. We hypothesize that disrupting the DLPFC immediately after sequence learning would degrade the retention or the consolidation of the sequence within the declarative memory system and thus facilitate consolidation within procedural memory systems, evident as wakeful off-line skill improvement. Inhibitory theta-burst TMS was applied to the left DLPFC (n = 10), to the right DLPFC (n = 10), or to an occipital cortical control site (n = 10) immediately after training on the serial reaction time task (SRTT). All groups were retested after eight daytime hours without sleep. TMS of either left or right DLPFC lead to skill improvements on the SRTT. Increase in skill was greater following right DLPFC stimulation than left DLPFC stimulation; there was no improvement in skill for the control group. Across all participants, free recall of the sequence was inversely related to the improvements in performance on the SRTT. These results support the hypothesis of interference between declarative and procedural consolidation processes and are discussed in the framework of the interactions between memory systems.


2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 1569-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maro G. Machizawa ◽  
Roger Kalla ◽  
Vincent Walsh ◽  
Leun J. Otten

Human neuroimaging studies have implicated a number of brain regions in long-term memory formation. Foremost among these is ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Here, we used double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess whether the contribution of this part of cortex is crucial for laying down new memories and, if so, to examine the time course of this process. Healthy adult volunteers performed an incidental encoding task (living/nonliving judgments) on sequences of words. In separate series, the task was performed either on its own or while TMS was applied to one of two sites of experimental interest (left/right anterior inferior frontal gyrus) or a control site (vertex). TMS pulses were delivered at 350, 750, or 1,150 ms following word onset. After a delay of 15 min, memory for the items was probed with a recognition memory test including confidence judgments. TMS to all three sites nonspecifically affected the speed and accuracy with which judgments were made during the encoding task. However, only TMS to prefrontal cortex affected later memory performance. Stimulation of left or right inferior frontal gyrus at all three time points reduced the likelihood that a word would later be recognized by a small, but significant, amount (∼4%). These findings indicate that bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex plays an essential role in memory formation, exerting its influence between ≥350 and 1,150 ms after an event is encountered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gay ◽  
C. Boutet ◽  
T. Sigaud ◽  
A. Kamgoue ◽  
J. Sevos ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundGambling disorder (GD) is common and disabling addictive disorder. In patients with substance use disorders, the application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) offers promise to alleviate craving. We hypothesized that applying real compared to sham rTMS over the left DLPFC would reduce gambling craving in patients with GD.MethodsIn a randomized sham-controlled crossover design, 22 treatment-seeking patients with GD received real or sham treatment with high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC followed a week later by the other type of treatment. Before and after each rTMS session, participants rated their gambling craving (from 0 to 100) before and after viewing a gambling video used as a cue. We used the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale adapted for Pathological Gambling to assess gambling behavior before and 7 days after each rTMS session.ResultsAs compared to sham (mean +0.74; standard deviation ± 3.03), real rTMS significantly decreased cue-induced craving (−2.12 ± 3.39; F(1,19) = 4.87; P = 0.04; partial η2 = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.00–0.21). No significant effect of rTMS was observed on gambling behavior.ConclusionsPatients with GD reported decreased cue-induced craving following a single session of high frequency rTMS applied over the left DLPFC. Further large randomized controlled studies are needed to determine the usefulness of rTMS in GD.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Pan ◽  
Tao-Mian Mi ◽  
Jing-Hong Ma ◽  
Hong Sun ◽  
Piu Chan

Background: Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with Multiple system atrophy (MSA), but effective treatments remain elusive. The present study aims to investigate whether high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could relieve fatigue in patients with MSA.Methods: This is a single-center, randomized and double-blind trial. Twenty-two patients with MSA and fatigue were randomly allocated to receive 10 sessions of either active (N = 11) or sham (N = 11) 10 Hz rTMS over the left DLPFC. The participants were assessed at baseline (T0), after the last session of treatment (T1), and at 2-week (T2), and 4-week (T3) follow-up timepoints. The primary outcomes were Fatigue Severity Scale-9 (FSS-9) scores, with Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS), 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) as secondary outcomes.Results: Two-way repeated ANOVAs revealed significant group × time interactions for FSS-9 scores (p < 0.001), HAMD-17 scores (p = 0.01), HAMA scores (p = 0.01), and UMRSA part II (p = 0.05). Post-hoc analyses showed that compared to T0, the active group exhibited remarkable improvements in FSS-9 and UMRSA part II scores at T1 and T2, but not at T3, and also in HAMD-17 and HAMA scores at T1, T2, and T3. No significant improvement was found in the sham group.Conclusion: High-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC could provide short-term improvements for alleviating fatigue in patients with MSA, but the beneficial effects last no more than 4 weeks.


2014 ◽  
Vol 153 ◽  
pp. S108
Author(s):  
Clarissa S. Gama ◽  
Leticia Czepielewski ◽  
Mariana Pedrini ◽  
Juliana Sartori ◽  
Marina Londero ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixiao Fu ◽  
Zhiliang Long ◽  
Qinghua Luo ◽  
Zhen Xu ◽  
Yisijia Xiang ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in depression is nonuniform across patients. This study aims to determine whether baseline neuroimaging characters can provide a pretreatment predictive effect for rTMS.MethodsTwenty-seven treatment-naive patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were enrolled and scanned with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging. Clinical symptoms were assessed pre- and post-rTMS. Functional and structural connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral insula were measured, and the connectivity strength in each modality was then correlated to the clinical efficacy of rTMS.ResultsWhen the coordinates of left DLPFC were located as a node in the central executive network, the clinical efficacy of rTMS was significantly correlated with the functional connectivity strength between left DLPFC and bilateral insula (left insula: r = 0.66; right insula: r = 0.65). The structural connectivity strength between the left DLPFC and left insular cortex also had a significantly positive correlation with symptom improvement (rs = 0.458).ConclusionThis study provides implications that rTMS might act more effectively when the pretreatment functional and structural connectivity between the insula and left DLPFC is stronger.


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