A Pilot Study Leveraging Large Scale Datasets from Internet-Connected Transcranial Magnetic Stimulators: Circadian Modulation of Cortical Excitability
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) research has been historically dominated by single, academic center research. Recent advances in TMS devices have introduced a new generation of internet-connected that collects anonymized data from geographically diverse medical clinics. Retrospective analysis of this data may afford unique opportunities to improve neuroscience understanding or treatment efficacy due to both the different environments and possible scale. For example, circadian rhythms affect brain function, and many neuropsychiatric disorders represent circadian fluctuations of their symptomatology. The available dataset includes resting motor threshold (rMT) values at different times of day. Although the measurement of rMT by TMS is a relatively stable measure over time, several small-sample studies have shown that circadian rhythms can impact rMT. This pilot study therefore aims to demonstrate the ability to use large, internet-connected data sets by investigating the effect of the measurement time on rMT. Methods: Magstim Horizon 3.0 systems, including the Horizon biphasic pulse stimulator, MT and EZ coils, StimGuide+ neuronavigation systems, and Magstim Connect with Analytics software were used to collect data from 22 clinics in different states of the USA, for 454 individuals. Results: The measured rMTs were clustered into three groups: 08:00-11:59, 12:00-15:59, and 16:00-20:00 in local times. The average threshold and standard deviation for each group were calculated as 60%±10.6%, 57.7%±11.4%, and 63%±11.5% respectively. A significant difference was observed between the groups (F(2,451)= 6.19,P< 0.05). The largest difference between the rMTs was determined between groups two and three as a medium effect (Cohen's d= 0.46) and the smallest difference between groups one and two (d= 0.2). Conclusions: The integrated dataset revealed considerable circadian effects of TMS-inferred corticospinal excitability. The growing data set shown here will be a useful tool to assess variability factors in TMS, which may have clinical implications. Research Category and Technology and Methods Translational Research: 10. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Keywords: Transcranial magnetic stimulation, Circadian Modulation, resting motor threshold, Cortical Excitability
Source: Brain stimulation
Authors: Majid Memarian Sorkhabi, Karen Wendt, Eric Granstrom, Daniel Gregory, Scott Rees, Timothy Denison
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,830
OpenAlex ID: W4320898928