International Conference on Transcranial Magnetic and Direct Current Stimulation

Within-Session Mood Changes From TMS in Depressed Patients

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Motor Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury Enhanced by Strengthening Corticospinal Synaptic Transmission

Effects of transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation on reciprocal inhibition in the human arm

Since the introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) almost four decades ago, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have emerged as promising tools to study brain-behaviour relationships in healthy and impaired states with unprecedented precision. Various NIBS techniques, including TMS, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and emerging methods such as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) are employed in both research and clinical settings. TMS has gained regulatory approval for treating conditions like major depressive disorder and migraine, while tDCS is showing efficacy in enhancing cognitive functions in various populations. This collection of articles examines key studies, including the modulation of cognitive-motor functions, optimization of light stimulation for Alzheimer’s therapy, and effects on risk-taking behaviour in violent offenders. Notably, the findings suggest that NIBS can effectively influence executive functions and decision-making processes. They highlight the integration of NIBS with neuroimaging techniques, the importance of personalized targeting, and the potential for combined therapeutic approaches. Future directions include addressing methodological challenges and leveraging artificial intelligence to refine treatment protocols. Collectively, these advancements position NIBS as a transformative tool in both neuroscience research and clinical practice, offering new avenues for understanding and treating complex neuropsychiatric conditions.

Review question / Objective: What is the efficacy or effectiveness of NIBS techniques, specifically repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), percutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (paVNS), and neck vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), in the control of outcomes associated with COVID-19 in the acute or post-COVID persistent syndrome? Eligibility criteria: Included clinical studies assessed participants with acute or persistent post-COVID-19 syndrome submitted to NIBS interventions, namely transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), theta burst (cTBS or iTBS). Studies that used peripheral and spinal cord stimulation techniques were also included. Those included vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), such as transcutaneous auricular (taVNS), percutaneous auricular (paVNS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) and other peripheral electrical stimulation (PES) techniques. Scientific communication, protocol studies, reviews and non-English papers were excluded.

Promising results in adult neurologic and psychiatric disorders are driving active research into transcranial brain stimulation techniques, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in childhood and adolescent syndromes. TMS has realistic utility as an experimental tool tested in a range of pediatric neuropathologies such as perinatal stroke, depression, Tourette syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). tDCS has also been tested as a treatment for a number of pediatric neurologic conditions, including ASD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. Here, we complement recent reviews with an update of published TMS and tDCS results in children, and discuss developmental neuroscience considerations that should inform pediatric transcranial stimulation.

Transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation compared: Does TES activate intracortical neuronal circuits?

Dysfunction within large-scale brain networks as the basis for movement disorders is an accepted hypothesis. The treatment options for restoring network function are limited. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are now being studied to modify the network. Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is also a portable, cost-effective, and non-invasive way of network modulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial alternating current stimulation have been studied in Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremor, and ataxia. Transcranial pulsed current stimulation and transcranial random noise stimulation are not yet studied enough. The literature in the use of these techniques is intriguing, yet many unanswered questions remain. In this review, we highlight the studies using these four potential tES techniques and their electrophysiological basis and consider the therapeutic implication in the field of movement disorders. The objectives are to consolidate the current literature, demonstrate that these methods are feasible, and encourage the application of such techniques in the near future.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been widely used as a research tool to modulate cortical excitability of motor as well as non-motor areas, including auditory or language-related areas. NIBS, especially transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation, have also been used in clinical settings, with however variable therapeutic outcome, highlighting the need to better understand the mechanisms underlying NIBS techniques. TMS was initially used to address causality between specific brain areas and related behavior, such as language production, providing non-invasive alternatives to lesion studies. Recent literature however suggests that the relationship is not as straightforward as originally thought, and that TMS can show both linear and non-linear modulation of brain responses, highlighting complex network dynamics. In particular, in the last decade, NIBS studies have enabled further advances in our understanding of auditory processing and its underlying functional organization. For instance, NIBS studies showed that even when only one auditory cortex is stimulated unilaterally, bilateral modulation may result, thereby highlighting the influence of functional connectivity between auditory cortices. Additional neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial alternating current stimulation or transcranial random noise stimulation have been used to target frequency-specific neural oscillations of the auditory cortex, thereby providing further insight into modulation of auditory functions. All these NIBS techniques offer different perspectives into the function and organization of auditory cortex. However, further research should be carried out to assess the mode of action and long-term effects of NIBS to optimize their use in clinical settings.

The brain has the innate ability to undergo neuronal plasticity, which refers to changes in its structure and functions in response to continued changes in the environment. Although these concepts are well established in animal slice preparation models, their application to a large number of human subjects could only be achieved using noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of plasticity induction using NIBS techniques including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), random noise stimulation (RNS), transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). We briefly introduce these techniques, explain the stimulation parameters and potential clinical implications. Although their mechanisms are different, all these NIBS techniques can be used to induce plasticity at the systems level, to examine the neurophysiology of brain circuits and have potential therapeutic use in psychiatric and neurological disorders. TMS is the most established technique for the treatment of brain disorders, and repetitive TMS is an approved treatment for medication-resistant depression. Although the data on the clinical utility of the other modes of stimulation are more limited, the electrical stimulation techniques (tDCS, tACS, RNS, VNS, GVS) have the advantage of lower cost, portability, applicability at home, and can readily be combined with training or rehabilitation. Further research is needed to expand the clinical utility of NIBS and test the combination of different modes of NIBS to optimize neuromodulation induced clinical benefits.

Chronic pain is debilitating and difficult to treat with pharmacotherapeutics alone. Consequently, exploring alternative treatment methods for chronic pain is essential. Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are increasingly being investigated for their neuropharmacological effects in the treatment of chronic pain. This review aims to examine and evaluate the present state of evidence regarding the use of tDCS and TMS in the treatment of chronic pain. Despite conflicting evidence in the early literature, evidence from recent rigorous research supports the use of tDCS and TMS in treating chronic pain conditions. For both tDCS and TMS, standardized stimulation parameters have been identified with the recommendation for repeated maintenance stimulation to ensure that the analgesic effect is sustained beyond discontinuation of therapy. Due to a lack of defined stimulation protocols, early findings on the efficacy of tDCS and TMS are mixed. Although the application of tDCS and TMS as pain relief approaches is still in its early stages, the introduction of standardized stimulation protocols is paving the way for more robust and informed research.

Working memory is a core component of high-level cognitive functions. A key feature of cognitive decline in older adults is the impairment of working memory capacity, which is also observed in many clinical conditions. In recent years, noninvasive neurostimulation techniques have garnered extensive research attention for their potential to enhance human cognitive function, particularly in older adults. This review focuses on several advanced noninvasive neurostimulation techniques for working memory in older adults. A systematic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar literature databases was conducted, covering research papers published from 2013 to 2023. This review identified 19 articles on transcranial electrical stimulation, 6 on transcranial magnetic stimulation, and 2 on transcranial photobiomodulation techniques that met the inclusion criteria. These results suggest that transcranial electrical stimulation, especially transcranial alternating current stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, can improve working memory performance in healthy older adults. Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with cognitive training improves functional connectivity between relevant brain regions in addition to performance gains. Transcranial random noise stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and transcranial photobiomodulation also have the potential to improve working memory. Further research is needed to understand the neural mechanisms involved and optimize stimulation parameters. In addition, emerging techniques such as transcranial focused ultrasound may offer promising solutions for future studies on working memory enhancement in older adults.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are characterized by cognitive, behavioral, and emotional challenges that significantly impact quality of life. Despite advances in pharmacological and behavioral interventions, many individuals exhibit partial or limited responses, highlighting the need for innovative therapeutic strategies. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, particularly transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), have emerged as promising approaches to modulate neural circuits underlying these conditions. Beyond neural modulation, these techniques offer potential clinical benefits, such as improving cognitive and behavioral outcomes in individuals with NDDs, thereby addressing treatment gaps in conventional therapies. While TES primarily alters cortical excitability through electric fields, TMS induces direct neuronal firing via magnetic fields, allowing distinct applications tailored to specific conditions.This review examines the mechanisms, applications, and limitations of TES, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and TMS, including repetitive TMS (rTMS) and theta-burst stimulation.

Memory is one of the top concerns of epilepsy patients, but there are no known treatments to directly alleviate the memory deficits associated with epilepsy. Neurostimulation may provide new therapeutic tools to enhance memory in epilepsy patients. Here, we critically review recent investigations of memory enhancement using transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), chronic intracranial stimulation, and acute intracranial stimulation. Existing literature suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) produces a small enhancement in memory in neuropsychological patients, but transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) have not been found to have an effect on memory. Most studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have found that TMS has no positive effect on memory. Vagus nerve stimulation can acutely enhance memory, while chronic therapy does not appear to alter memory performance. We found that there is the most evidence for significant memory enhancement using intracranial stimulation techniques, especially chronic stimulation of the fornix and task-responsive stimulation of the lateral temporal lobe. Presently, there are no existing therapeutic options for directly treating epilepy-related memory deficits. While neurostimulation technologies for memory enhancement are largely still in the experimental phase, neurostimulation appears promising as a future technique for treating epilepsy-related memory deficits.