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Project

Offline learning during low-frequency rTMS intervention: effect on neuromodulation of cortical functions gauged with fMRI and EEG

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to induce short- and long-lasting effects on brain functionality and -plasticity in healthy and clinical populations. Contrary to high-frequency rTMS, only very few studies explored the impact of low-frequency rTMS on lasting behavioral and brain modulations. Mainly two approaches were adopted when assessing lasting effects: stimulation during single or multiple rTMS sessions. Aside charting the effect of rTMS, several studies focused on offline learning to better understand how the brain develops skills after practice (period of consolidation) and whether the observed improvements have an impact on various brain circuits. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) provided evidence of the neural basis of consolidation, showing differences between pre- and post-rTMS interventions on targeted and connected brain areas. The goal of our 1-year project is to measure the effect of offline learning on behavior, EEG and fMRI activity when using 5 rTMS sessions within the same day and across several days (allowing for consolidation during night sleep) which is expected to provide valuable insights into the effect of single vs. multiple rTMS sessions.
Date:1 Feb 2020 →  31 Jan 2021
Keywords:Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimula, Offline learning, Period of consolidation, EEG, fMRI
Disciplines:Developmental neuroscience