https://bic.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/Rossi_09_TMS%20safety%20review.pdf

Safety, ethical considerations, and application guidelines for the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice and research

http://www.cognitiveneuroscience.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Rossini_CliNeuro_2015.pdf

Non-invasive electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, spinal cord, roots and peripheral nerves: Basic principles and procedures for routine clinical and research application: An updated report from an I.F.C.N. Committee

http://www.unicog.org/publications/DehaeneChangeux_ReviewConsciousness_Neuron2011.pdf

Experimental and Theoretical Approaches to Conscious Processing

A widely used technique for coordinate-based meta-analyses of neuroimaging data is activation likelihood estimation (ALE). ALE assesses the overlap between foci based on modeling them as probability distributions centered at the respective coordinates. In this Human Brain Project/Neuroinformatics research, the authors present a revised ALE algorithm addressing drawbacks associated with former implementations. The first change pertains to the size of the probability distributions, which had to be specified by the used. To provide a more principled solution, the authors analyzed fMRI data of 21 subjects, each normalized into MNI space using nine different approaches. This analysis provided quantitative estimates of between-subject and between-template variability for 16 functionally defined regions, which were then used to explicitly model the spatial uncertainty associated with each reported coordinate. Secondly, instead of testing for an above-chance clustering between foci, the revised algorithm assesses above-chance clustering between experiments. The spatial relationship between foci in a given experiment is now assumed to be fixed and ALE results are assessed against a null-distribution of random spatial association between experiments. Critically, this modification entails a change from fixed- to random-effects inference in ALE analysis allowing generalization of the results to the entire population of studies analyzed. By comparative analysis of real and simulated data, the authors showed that the revised ALE-algorithm overcomes conceptual problems of former meta-analyses and increases the specificity of the ensuing results without loosing the sensitivity of the original approach. It may thus provide a methodologically improved tool for coordinate-based meta-analyses on functional imaging data.

/pdf/coordinate-based-activation-likelihood-estimation-meta-jsgrvi0ci2.pdf

Coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of neuroimaging data: a random-effects approach based on empirical estimates of spatial uncertainty

Plasticity is an intrinsic property of the human brain and represents evolution’s invention to enable the nervous system to escape the restrictions of its own genome and thus adapt to environmental pressures, physiologic changes, and experiences. Dynamic shifts in the strength of preexisting connections across distributed neural networks, changes in task-related cortico-cortical and corticosubcortical coherence and modifications of the mapping between behavior and neural activity take place in response to changes in afferent input or efferent demand. Such rapid, ongoing changes may be followed by the establishment of new connections through dendritic growth and arborization. However, they harbor the danger that the evolving pattern of neural activation may in itself lead to abnormal behavior. Plasticity is the mechanism for development and learning, as much as a cause of pathology. The challenge we face is to learn enough about the mechanisms of plasticity to modulate them to achieve the best behavioral outcome for a given subject.

The plastic human brain cortex.

Theta Burst Stimulation of the Human Motor Cortex

We used a recently developed protocol of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), theta-burst stimulation, to bilaterally depress activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as subjects performed a visual discrimination task. We found that TMS impaired subjects' ability to discriminate between correct and incorrect stimulus judgments. Specifically, after TMS subjects reported lower visibility levels for correctly identified stimuli, as if they were less fully aware of the quality of their visual information processing. A signal detection theory analysis confirmed that the results reflect a change in metacognitive sensitivity, not just response bias. The effect was specific to metacognition; TMS did not change stimulus discrimination performance, ruling out alternative explanations such as TMS impairing visual attention. Together these results suggest that activations in the prefrontal cortex in brain imaging experiments on visual awareness are not epiphenomena, but rather may reflect a critical metacognitive process.

/pdf/theta-burst-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-to-the-20j2np6ae1.pdf

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation to the prefrontal cortex impairs metacognitive visual awareness.

Frequency specific changes in regional cerebral blood flow and motor system connectivity following rTMS to the primary motor cortex.

Objective. This study tested the hypothesis that degeneration of the corticofugal tracts (CFTs) is related to poor functional outcome in the upper limb after stroke. Methods. The authors used diffusion tensor imaging to determine the degree of white matter integrity of the CFT (FAAH/UH) in chronic stroke patients and controls. The functional integrity of the corticospinal pathway was examined using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Recruitment curves and silent period duration were measured. The relationship between FA AH/UH and functional outcome of the upper limb was also assessed using a battery of upper limb function tests. Results. In patients, FA AH/UH correlated positively with the slope of recruitment curves (RC AH/UH) and grip strength. FAAH/UH also correlated negatively with the silent period duration (SPAH/UH). According to the FA AH/UH, patients were also classified into groups with minimal or extensive Wallerian degeneration (WD). Patients with more extensive WD had poorer grip strength, dexterity, and range of movement. Conclusions. The authors' results suggest that structural and functional integrity of the CFT is essential to maintain function of the upper limb after stroke.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1545968307301886

Wallerian degeneration of the corticofugal tracts in chronic stroke: a pilot study relating diffusion tensor imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and hand function.

Elisabeth Rounis

Papers

Theta Burst Stimulation of the Human Motor Cortex

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation to the prefrontal cortex impairs metacognitive visual awareness.

Frequency specific changes in regional cerebral blood flow and motor system connectivity following rTMS to the primary motor cortex.

Wallerian degeneration of the corticofugal tracts in chronic stroke: a pilot study relating diffusion tensor imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and hand function.

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation to the prefrontal cortex impairs metacognitive visual awareness