Theta-burst stimulation entrains frequency-specific oscillatory responses

Abstract

Background: Brain stimulation has emerged as a powerful tool in human neuroscience, becoming integral to next-generation psychiatric and neurologic therapeutics. Theta-burst stimulation (TBS), in which electrical pulses are delivered in rhythmic bouts of 3e8 Hz, seeks to recapitulate neural activity seen endogenously during cognitive tasks. A growing literature suggests that TBS can be used to alter or enhance cognitive processes, but little is known about how these stimulation events influence underlying neural activity. Objective: Our study sought to investigate the effect of direct electrical TBS on mesoscale neural activity in humans by asking (1) whether TBS evokes persistent theta oscillations in cortical areas, (2) whether these oscillations occur at the stimulated frequency, and (3) whether stimulation events propagate in a manner consistent with underlying functional and structural brain architecture. Methods: We recruited 20 neurosurgical epilepsy patients with indwelling electrodes and delivered direct cortical TBS at varying locations and frequencies. Simultaneous iEEG was recorded from nonstimulated electrodes and analyzed to understand how TBS influences mesoscale neural activity. Results: We found that TBS rapidly evoked theta rhythms in widespread brain regions, preferentially at the stimulation frequency, and that these oscillations persisted for hundreds of milliseconds post stimulation offset. Furthermore, the functional connectivity between recording and stimulation sites predicted the strength of theta response, suggesting that underlying brain architecture guides the flow of stimulation through the brain. Conclusions: By demonstrating that cortical TBS induces frequency-specific oscillatory responses, our results suggest this technology can be used to directly and predictably influence the activity of cognitively-relevant brain networks.

A dynamical computational model of theta generation in hippocampal circuits to study theta-gamma oscillations during neurostimulation

“…Even more interestingly, the inclusion of spike-timing-dependent plasticity would enable the inves-tigation of stimulation protocols aimed at promoting LTP, such as theta-burst stimulation ( Larson and Munkácsy, 2015 ). This aspect would be of uttermost importance to make a link with memory encoding and retrieval processes ( Axmacher et al, 2006 ; Tsanov and Manahan-Vaughan, 2009 ; Jutras et al, 2013 ) and with neurostimulation studies for memory improvement ( Titiz et al, 2017 ; Solomon et al, 2021 ).…”

Natural frequencies of neural activities and cognitions may serve as precise targets of rhythmic interventions to the aging brain

“…Still, though it is of great promise, future work is highly demanded and warranted to (1) explicitly examine and characterize the efficacy of this kind of technology, helping maximize its benefits at individual level ( Knyazeva et al, 2018 ; Jafari et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2022 ); and (2) determine the optimal design of this intervention that would be appropriate for different populations (e.g., those with and without neurodegenerative diseases), including the immediate and longer-term effects, dose-response relationship, etc. ( Wang et al, 2015 ; Solomon et al, 2021 ).…”

“…(2) determine the optimal design of this intervention that would be appropriate for different populations (e.g., those with and without neurodegenerative diseases), including the immediate and longer-term effects, dose-response relationship, etc. (Wang et al, 2015;Solomon et al, 2021).…”

Cerebral Theta-Burst Stimulation Combined with Physiotherapy in Patients with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a specific type of stimulation mode in rTMS (16,17), the mechanism of action of which includes changing cortical excitability, inducing long-term potentiation (LTP), or long-term depression (LTD) (18), promoting neural remodelling, and stimulating the release of neurotransmitters. Compared with traditional rTMS (19,20), iTBS has the advantages of higher frequency, lower intensity, shorter stimulation time, and longer duration of changing cortical excitability (21)(22)(23). We hypothesized that iTBS would promote motor-related recovery by enhancing the transmission of corticospinal pathways.…”