Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation Over the DorsoLateral PreFrontal Cortex (DLPFC) in Healthy Subjects Produces No Cumulative Effect on Cortical Excitability

Noomane Bouaziz; Charles Laidi; Fanny Thomas; Palmyre Schenin-King Andrianisaina; Virginie Moulier; Dominique Januel

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626479

Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation Over the DorsoLateral PreFrontal Cortex (DLPFC) in Healthy Subjects Produces No Cumulative Effect on Cortical Excitability

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Feb 18:12:626479. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626479. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Noomane Bouaziz¹, Charles Laidi², Fanny Thomas¹, Palmyre Schenin-King Andrianisaina¹, Virginie Moulier^{1

3}, Dominique Januel¹

Affiliations

¹ Unité de recherche clinique, Pôle 93G03, EPS de Ville Evrard, Neuilly sur Marne, France.
² Pôle de Psychiatrie, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Faculté de Médecine de Créteil, DMU IMPACT, Hôpitaux Universitaires Mondor, Créteil, France.
³ Service hospitalo-universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, CH du Rouvray, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France.

Abstract

Background: Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) is a design of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and could be a candidate to replace rTMS in the treatment of depression, thanks to its efficacy, shorter duration, and ease of use. The antidepressant mechanism of iTBS, and whether this mechanism is mediated by a modulation of cortical excitability, remains unknown. Methods: Using a randomized double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 30 healthy volunteers received either iTBS or a sham treatment targeting the left DorsoLateral PreFrontal Cortex (L-DLPFC), twice a day over 5 consecutive days. Cortical excitability was measured before and after the 5 days of stimulation. Results: No difference in cortical excitability was observed between active or sham iTBS. Conclusion: Our study does not support any effect on cortical excitability of repetitive iTBS targeting the L-DLPFC.

Keywords: cortical excitability transcranial magnetic stimulation; depression; iTBS; neuro modulation; neuroexcitability; rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation).