TY - JOUR
T1 - Combined effects of theta-burst stimulation with transcranial direct current stimulation of the prefrontal cortex
T2 - study protocol of a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial using 99mTc-ECD SPECT
AU - Razza, Laís B
AU - Buchpiguel, Carlos A
AU - De Smet, Stefanie
AU - Klein, Izio
AU - Baeken, Chris
AU - Galhardoni, Ricardo
AU - Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne
AU - Brunoni, André R
PY - 2021/10/1
Y1 - 2021/10/1
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as monotherapy has been increasingly used to enhance the activity of brain networks. However, it is unclear whether a combination of distinct NIBS approaches could enhance prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity.OBJECTIVE: We propose to investigate the combined and standalone effects of two NIBS modalities on the PFC through a working memory task, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and salivary cortisol. We hypothesize that the combined protocol will provoke greater changes in the collected measures compared to the remining protocols.METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, full-factorial design will be conducted. The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) will be investigated over four different sessions (sham tDCS + sham iTBS, anodal tDCS + sham iTBS, anodal tDCS + active iTBS and sham tDCS + active iTBS) in 30 healthy adult volunteers. A 99mTc-ethylene cysteine dimer (99mTC-ECD) will be administered during the NIBS session and neuroimaging will be acquired within one hour. Salivary cortisol will be collected before and after each session and an n-back working memory task will be applied after the end of each NIBS session. The outcomes will be cerebral perfusion alterations (99mTC-ECD SPECT), accuracy and reaction time in the n-back task, and changes in salivary cortisol level.CONCLUSION: The results from this trial can guide future therapeutic protocols for NIBS treatments stimulating the PFC by demonstrating that the combination of NIBS techniques is feasible, tolerable, and can lead to greater enhancement of PFC activity.
AB - INTRODUCTION: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as monotherapy has been increasingly used to enhance the activity of brain networks. However, it is unclear whether a combination of distinct NIBS approaches could enhance prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity.OBJECTIVE: We propose to investigate the combined and standalone effects of two NIBS modalities on the PFC through a working memory task, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and salivary cortisol. We hypothesize that the combined protocol will provoke greater changes in the collected measures compared to the remining protocols.METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, full-factorial design will be conducted. The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) will be investigated over four different sessions (sham tDCS + sham iTBS, anodal tDCS + sham iTBS, anodal tDCS + active iTBS and sham tDCS + active iTBS) in 30 healthy adult volunteers. A 99mTc-ethylene cysteine dimer (99mTC-ECD) will be administered during the NIBS session and neuroimaging will be acquired within one hour. Salivary cortisol will be collected before and after each session and an n-back working memory task will be applied after the end of each NIBS session. The outcomes will be cerebral perfusion alterations (99mTC-ECD SPECT), accuracy and reaction time in the n-back task, and changes in salivary cortisol level.CONCLUSION: The results from this trial can guide future therapeutic protocols for NIBS treatments stimulating the PFC by demonstrating that the combination of NIBS techniques is feasible, tolerable, and can lead to greater enhancement of PFC activity.
KW - Adult
KW - Cysteine/analogs & derivatives
KW - Double-Blind Method
KW - Humans
KW - Organotechnetium Compounds
KW - Prefrontal Cortex/diagnostic imaging
KW - Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
KW - Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
KW - Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
KW - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101875674&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.47626/2237-6089-2020-0110
DO - 10.47626/2237-6089-2020-0110
M3 - Article
C2 - 34985846
VL - 43
SP - 293
EP - 301
JO - Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy
JF - Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy
SN - 2237-6089
IS - 4
ER -