Biology subjects

Romero Lauro, L. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Romero Lauro, L. J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

State-dependent effectiveness of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation on cortical excitability

The extensive use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in experimental and clinical settings does not correspond to an in-depth understanding of its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. In previous studies, we employed an integrated system of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) to track the effect of tDCS on cortical excitability. At rest, anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) over the right Posterior Parietal Cortex (rPPC) elicits a widespread increase in cortical excitability. In contrast, cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS) fails to modulate cortical excitability, being indistinguishable from sham stimulation. Here we investigated whether an endogenous task-induced activation during stimulation might change this pattern, improving c-tDCS effectiveness in modulating cortical excitability. In Study 1, we tested whether performance in a Visuospatial Working Memory Task (VWMT) and a modified Posner Cueing Task (mPCT), involving rPPC, could be modulated by c-tDCS. Thirty-eight participants were involved in a two-session experiment receiving either c-tDCS or sham during tasks execution. In Study 2, we recruited sixteen novel participants who performed the same paradigm but underwent TMS-EEG recordings pre- and 10 minutes post-sham and c-tDCS. Behavioral results showed that c-tDCS significantly modulated mPCT performance compared to sham. At a neurophysiological level, c-tDCS significantly reduced cortical excitability in a frontoparietal network involved in task execution. Taken together, our results provide evidence of the state dependence of c-tDCS in modulating cortical excitability effectively. The conceptual and applicative implications are discussed.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Top-down contribution to motor network reorganization during action preparation

BACKGROUNDIt is unclear whether the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) recorded in humans during action preparation mirrors motor areas activation escalation, or if its early and late phases reflect the engagement of different functional networks. OBJECTIVEHere, we aimed at recording the TMS evoked-potentials (TEP) stimulating the supplementary motor area (SMA) to assess whether and how cortical excitability and functional connectivity of this region change as the BP increases. We hypothesize that, at later stages, the SMA functional network should become more connected to regions relevant for the implementation of the final motor plan. METHODSWe performed TMS-EEG recordings on fourteen healthy subjects during the performance of a visuomotor Go/No-go task, eliciting and recording cortical activity and functional connectivity at -700 ms and -300 ms before the onset of visual stimuli over the SMA. RESULTSWhen approaching stimulus onset, and thus BP peak, the SMA increased its functional connectivity with movement-related structures in the gamma and alpha bands, indicating a regional top-down preparation to implement the motor act. Beta-band connectivity, instead, was maintained constant for the whole BP time-course, being potentially related to sustained attention required by the experimental task. CONCLUSIONThese findings reveal that the BP is not a mere result of increased activation of the SMA, but the functional networks in which this region is involved qualitatively changes over time, becoming more related to the execution of the motor act.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

TMS orientation and pulse waveform manipulation activates different neural populations: direct evidence from TMS-EEG

Monophasic and biphasic TMS pulses and coil orientations produce different responses in terms of motor output and sensory perception. Those differences have been attributed to the activation of specific neural populations. However, up to date, direct evidence supporting this hypothesis is still missing since studies were mostly based on indirect measures of cortical activation, i.e., motor evoked potentials or phosphenes. Here, we investigated for the first time the impact of different coil orientations and waveforms on a non-primary cortical area, namely the premotor cortex, by measuring TMS evoked EEG potentials (TEPs). We aimed at determining whether TEPs produced by differently oriented biphasic and monophasic TMS pulses diverge and whether these differences are underpinned by the activation of specific neural populations. To do so, we applied TMS over the right premotor cortex with monophasic or biphasic waveforms oriented perpendicularly (in the anterior-posterior direction and vice-versa) or parallel (latero-medial or medio-laterally) to the target gyrus. EEG was concurrently recorded from 60 electrodes. We analyzed TEPs at the level of EEG sensors and cortical sources both in time and time-frequency domain. Biphasic pulses evoked larger early TEP components, which reflect cortical excitability properties of the underlying cortex, in both parallel directions when compared to the perpendicular conditions. Conversely, monophasic pulses, when oriented perpendicularly to the stimulated gyrus, elicited a greater N100, which is a reliable TEP component linked to GABAb-mediated inhibitory processes, than when parallel to the gyrus. Our results provide direct evidence supporting the hypothesis that TMS pulse waveform and TMS coil orientations affect which neural population is engaged.

neuroscience↗