Electroencephalography During Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Current Modus Operandi

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely used research and clinical device that has the potential to modulate and interact with brain activity. However, its mechanisms of action, whether used to explore brain functions in healthy participants or to induce meaningful therapeutic effects in patients, are still not fully understood. One method allowing bridging the gap between TMS administration and its behavioral consequences is the simultaneous recording of brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG). Unfortunately, the acquisition and interpretation of EEG data during TMS is still not straightforward because of the contamination of the EEG by artifacts, despite the introduction of several TMS-compatible EEG systems. This chapter is providing a step-by-step guide to online TMS-EEG experimentation, from the selection of appropriate material, to conducting the experiment and later data analysis. We first review the multiple possible sources of EEG contaminations related to a TMS discharge (of electromagnetic, mechanical, and physiological origin). We then examine various methods that have been proposed in the literature to minimize these artifacts or isolate them from genuine neuronal responses to TMS. We finally survey insights in cognitive and clinical Neuroscience that have been gained from the TMS-EEG combination between its introduction in 1997 (first TMS-compatible EEG systems) up to 2011.
Source: Springer protocols feed by Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: news