Neuro-Cardiac-Guided TMS (NCG-TMS): Probing DLPFC-sgACC-vagus nerve connectivity using heart rate – First results

Background: Given that many studies suggest a role of DLPFC-sgACC connectivity in depression and prior research demonstrating that neuromodulation of either of these nodes modulates parasympathetic activity and results in a heart rate deceleration, a new method is proposed to individualize localizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tabitha A. Iseger, Frank Padberg, J. Leon Kenemans, Richard Gevirtz, Martijn Arns
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2017-09-01
Series:Brain Stimulation
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X17307933
Description
Summary:Background: Given that many studies suggest a role of DLPFC-sgACC connectivity in depression and prior research demonstrating that neuromodulation of either of these nodes modulates parasympathetic activity and results in a heart rate deceleration, a new method is proposed to individualize localization of the DLPFC. This can, among others, be useful for rTMS treatment of depression. Methods: Ten healthy subjects received three trains of 10Hz rTMS randomly over 7 target regions (10–20 system). Results: Overall, F3 and F4 expressed the largest heart rate deceleration, in line with studies suggesting these are the best 10–20 sites to target the DLPFC. On the individual level, 20–40% subjects expressed the largest heart rate deceleration at FC3 or FC4, indicating individual differences as to the ‘optimal site for stimulation’. Conclusions: These results show that the NCG-TMS method is valid to localize the entry into the DLPFC-sgACC network.
ISSN:1935-861X