The effects of 10Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on resting EEG power spectrum in healthy subjects

10 Hz rTMS over the left prefrontal cortex may be useful in the treatment of depressive disorders. However, the effects of 10 Hz rTMS applied in potentially effective doses on electroencephalographic activity are not well studied. Using EEG, we aimed to investigate the neurobiological effects of the 10 Hz rTMS set of parameters currently used for depression treatment in a sample of healthy subjects. In 18 healthy subjects, either 10 Hz real rTMS or sham stimulation were given in a crossover design. Real rTMS stimulation was carried out with an intensity of 110% of motor threshold (MT) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. For the sham condition, the coil was angled over a parietotemporal position and the intensity was reduced to 90% of MT. EEG recordings were taken before and after a single rTMS session. EEG power spectrum was extracted using the complex demodulation method and changes in power were evaluated statistically. Real 10 Hz rTMS induced an overall increase in delta power. This increase prevailed throughout the sample, whereas effects on the power of the alpha, beta and theta EEG bands were highly variable. Sham stimulation had no substantial effects on the EEG power spectrum. Furthermore, no changes in EEG asymmetry were detected. Real 10 Hz rTMS applied at 2000 stimuli and 110% intensity may induce significant changes in resting EEG in healthy subjects.

[1]  T. Gasser,et al.  Hypofrontality on topographic EEG in schizophrenia , 2005, European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.

[2]  T. Fernández,et al.  EEG delta activity: an indicator of attention to internal processing during performance of mental tasks. , 1996, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology.

[3]  R. C. Oldfield.  The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. , 1971, Neuropsychologia.

[4]  Frank Padberg,et al.  Transcranial magnetic stimulation in therapy studies: examination of the reliability of “standard” coil positioning by neuronavigation , 2001, Biological Psychiatry.

[5]  H. Sackeim,et al.  Neuropsychiatric applications of transcranial magnetic stimulation: a meta analysis. , 2002, The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology.

[6]  Jaak Panksepp,et al.  High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic over the medial cerebellum induces a shift in the prefrontal electroencephalography gamma spectrum: a pilot study in humans , 2003, Neuroscience Letters.

[7]  K. Alper,et al.  The EEG and cocaine sensitization: a hypothesis. , 1999, The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences.

[8]  R. T. Pivik,et al.  Guidelines for the recording and quantitative analysis of electroencephalographic activity in research contexts. , 1993, Psychophysiology.

[9]  Leslie S. Prichep,et al.  Correlation of PET and qEEG in normal subjects , 2006, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

[10]  J. Sirviö,et al.  Relationship between the cortical choline acetyltransferase content and EEG delta-power , 1990, Neuroscience Research.

[11]  P. Rossini,et al.  Non-invasive electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, spinal cord and roots: basic principles and procedures for routine clinical application. Report of an IFCN committee. , 1994, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[12]  Jaime Kulisevsky,et al.  Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression. Systematic review and meta-analysis. , 2003, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[13]  A. Gershon,et al.  Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression. , 2003, The American journal of psychiatry.

[14]  R. Hoffman,et al.  Electroencephalogram and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation , 2000, Depression and anxiety.

[15]  M Takigawa,et al.  EEG Modification Induced by Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation , 2001, Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society.

[16]  J. Couturier,et al.  Efficacy of rapid-rate repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. , 2005, Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN.

[17]  E H de Haan,et al.  Effects of slow rTMS at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on EEG asymmetry and mood , 2001, Neuroreport.

[18]  C. D. Smith,et al.  Neural lesions in the rat and their relationship to EEG delta activity following seizures induced by the nerve agent soman. , 1998, Neurotoxicology.

[19]  H. Sackeim,et al.  Sham TMS: intracerebral measurement of the induced electrical field and the induction of motor-evoked potentials , 2001, Biological Psychiatry.

[20]  Marianne B. Müller,et al.  Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation increases the release of dopamine in the mesolimbic and mesostriatal system , 2002, Neuropharmacology.

[21]  N Papp,et al.  Critical evaluation of complex demodulation techniques for the quantification of bioelectrical activity. , 1977, Biomedical sciences instrumentation.

[22]  Á. Pascual-Leone,et al.  Interindividual variability of the modulatory effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical excitability , 2000, Experimental Brain Research.

[23]  P. Achermann,et al.  High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral cortex: EEG topography during waking and subsequent sleep , 2001, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

[24]  Bruno Weber,et al.  Lateralized and frequency-dependent effects of prefrontal rTMS on regional cerebral blood flow , 2006, NeuroImage.

[25]  L. Jancke,et al.  The role of the right dorsal premotor cortex in visuomotor learning: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study , 2005, Neuroreport.

[26]  R. J. Ilmoniemi,et al.  Prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation produces intensity-dependent EEG responses in humans , 2005, NeuroImage.

[27]  Bryant Howard,et al.  Topographic Imaging of Quantitative EEG in Response to Smoked Cocaine Self-Administration in Humans , 2006, Neuropsychopharmacology.

[28]  T. Paus,et al.  Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Human Prefrontal Cortex Induces Dopamine Release in the Caudate Nucleus , 2001, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[29]  D Popivanov,et al.  Assessment of EEG frequency dynamics using complex demodulation. , 1999, Physiological research.

[30]  A. Beck,et al.  An inventory for measuring depression. , 1961, Archives of general psychiatry.

[31]  Uwe Herwig,et al.  Using the International 10-20 EEG System for Positioning of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation , 2004, Brain Topography.

[32]  R. Post,et al.  Opposite effects of high and low frequency rTMS on regional brain activity in depressed patients , 2000, Biological Psychiatry.