Probing intrahemispheric interactions with a novel dual-site TMS setup

Abstract

Objective: Using dual-site transcranial magnetic stimulation (dsTMS), the effective connectivity between the primary motor cortex (M1) and adjacent brain areas such as the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) can be investigated. However, stimulating two brain regions in close proximity (e.g., ±2.3 cm for intrahemispheric PMd-M1) is subject to considerable spatial restrictions that potentially can be overcome by combining two standard figure-of-eight coils in a novel dsTMS setup.

Methods: After a technical evaluation of its induced electric fields, the dsTMS setup was tested in vivo (n = 23) by applying a short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) protocol. Additionally, the intrahemispheric PMd-M1 interaction was probed. E-field modelling was performed using SimNIBS.

Results: The technical evaluation yielded no major alterations of the induced electric fields due to coil overlap. In vivo, the setup reliably elicited SICI. Investigating intrahemispheric PMd-M1 interactions was feasible (inter-stimulus interval 6 ms), resulting in modulation of M1 output.

Conclusions: The presented dsTMS setup provides a novel way to stimulate two adjacent brain regions with fewer technical and spatial limitations than previous attempts.

Significance: This dsTMS setup enables more accurate and repeatable targeting of brain regions in close proximity and can facilitate innovation in the field of effective connectivity.

Keywords: Dorsal premotor cortex (PMd); Dual-site TMS (dsTMS); Effective functional connectivity; Intrahemispheric interaction; Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).