Transcranial alternating current stimulation modulates cortical processing of somatosensory information in a frequency- and time-specific manner

Fabbrini, A; Guerra, Andrea; Giangrosso, Margherita; Manzo, Nicoletta; Leodori, Giorgio; Pasqualetti, Patrizio; Conte, Antonella; Lazzaro, Vincenzo Di; Berardelli, Alfredo

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119119

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Attenuation of subjective pain perception is likely an effect of a-tACS that only takes place during the stimulation period. 17,43 At the neural level, fMRI data were analyzed by flipping the left and right hemispheres of participants that received a-tACS over the left SM1, so that participants homogeneously received a-tACS over the right SM1. Our data confirmed that brain regions, including S1, S2, insula, and ACC/MCC were activated in response to the noxious laser stimuli, which constitute the classic "pain matrix."…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aftereffects of alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation over the primary sensorimotor cortex on cortical processing of pain

Peng

Zhan

Jin

et al. 2022

Pain

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Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is believed to modulate brain oscillations in a frequency-specific manner. Given the correlation between sensorimotor a-oscillations and pain perception, tACS that targets sensorimotor a-oscillations has the potential to reduce pain. Therefore, this study sought to determine the aftereffects of a-tACS over unilateral primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) on the perceptual and neural responses to noxious painful stimulation of the contralateral hand. Using a double-blinded and sham-controlled design, 60 healthy participants were recruited to receive either a-tACS or sham stimulation of unilateral SM1 through an electrode montage in a 4 3 1 ring configuration. Neural responses to laser nociceptive stimuli were assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging immediately before and after a-tACS intervention. Perceptual reports were recorded simultaneously. Compared with sham stimulation, a-tACS attenuated bilateral SM1 responses to painful stimuli delivered to the contralateral hand. Although a-tACS did not exert direct effect on subjective pain perception, it can indirectly decrease ratings of pain perception by reducing brain activity within the targeted SM1. Moreover, a-tACS decreased the functional connectivity between the targeted SM1 and a network of regions that are crucially involved in pain processing, including the middle cingulate cortex, contralateral somatosensory cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrated that after a-tACS applied over the unilateral SM1 does attenuate subsequent neural processing of pain within bilateral sensorimotor regions as well as sensorimotor functional connectivity. The findings provide evidence that sensorimotor a-oscillations directly affect pain processing and support the application of sensorimotor a-tACS for inducing pain analgesia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attenuation of subjective pain perception is likely an effect of α-tACS that only takes place during the stimulation period. 17,43…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aftereffects of alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation over the primary sensorimotor cortex on cortical processing of pain

Peng

Zhan

Jin

et al. 2022

Pain

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“…The literature on non-invasive electrospinographic recordings from the human spinal cord spans more than 50 years (Liberson et al, 1966) and contains important normative data for SEP latencies for example (Synek, 1986a(Synek, , 1986bTsuji et al, 1984). However, since the issue of underpowered studies in neuroscience rose to prominence (Button et al, 2013), only very few spinal cord SEP studies have been published (Boehme et al, 2019;Chander et al, 2022;Di Pietro et al, 2021;Fabbrini et al, 2022;Rocchi et al, 2018) and there is thus a lack of data that would help with planning well-powered and reproducible experiments in this domain. Here we set out to fill this gap in two ways.…”

Section: Insights For Planning Future Electrospinography Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using such approaches, a canonical set of early potentials with a post-synaptic origin in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord has been reported (Delbeke et al, 1978; Desmedt & Cheron, 1981a; Desmedt & Huy, 1984; Emerson et al, 1984; Ratto et al, 1983; Yamada et al, 1980): spinal SEPs present as negative deflection in the cervical part 13 ms after stimulation (N13) and in the lumbar part 22 ms after stimulation (N22). While thus providing a direct window into processing in the human spinal cord, in the last decade only very few studies recorded such spinal cord SEPs non-invasively in healthy human volunteers to our knowledge (Boehme et al, 2019; Chander et al, 2022; Di Pietro et al, 2021; Fabbrini et al, 2022; Rocchi et al, 2018), despite considerable improvements of both recording capabilities and processing techniques for non-invasive neurophysiological data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-channel electrophysiology approach to non-invasively and precisely record human spinal cord activity

Nierula

Stephani

Kaptan

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The spinal cord is of fundamental importance for somatosensory processing and plays a significant role in various pathologies, such as chronic pain. However, knowledge on spinal cord processing in humans is limited due to the vast technical challenges involved in its investigation via non-invasive recording approaches. Here, we aim to address these challenges by developing an electrophysiological approach — based on a high-density electrode-montage — that allows for characterizing spinal cord somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and combining this with concurrent recordings of the spinal cord's input (peripheral nerve action potentials) and output (SEPs in brainstem and cortex). In two separate experiments, we first methodologically validate the approach (including replication and robustness analyses) and then assess its application in the context of a neuroscientific question (integrative processes along the neural hierarchy). Critically, we demonstrate the benefits of multi-channel recordings in terms of enhancing sensitivity via spatial filtering, which also allows for obtaining spinal cord SEPs at the single-trial level. We make use of this approach to demonstrate the feasibility of recording spinal cord SEPs in low-signal scenarios (single-digit stimulation) and — most importantly — to provide evidence for bottom-up signal integration already at the level of the spinal cord. Taken together, our approach of concurrent multi-channel recordings of evoked responses along the neural hierarchy allows for a comprehensive assessment of the functional architecture of somatosensory processing at a millisecond timescale.

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“…A limited number of studies have so far provided partial evidence in support of behaviorally relevant sensory entrainment in the tactile domain (Ruzzoli and Soto-Faraco, 2014;Gundlach et al, 2016;Fabbrini et al, 2022;Houlgreave et al, 2022). Houlgreave et al (2022) demonstrated that 12 Hz stimulation of the median nerve causes frequency specific entrainment of contralateral MEG activity, but did not test for potential resulting behavioral effects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

No evidence for tactile entrainment of attention

Pomper

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Temporal patterns in our environment provide a rich source of information, to which endogenous neural processes linked to perception and attention can synchronize. This phenomenon, known as entrainment, has so far been studied predominately in the visual and auditory domains. It is currently unknown whether sensory phase-entrainment generalizes to the tactile modality, e.g., for the perception of surface patterns or when reading braille. Here, we address this open question via a behavioral experiment with preregistered experimental and analysis protocols. Twenty healthy participants were presented, on each trial, with 2 s of either rhythmic or arrhythmic 10 Hz tactile stimuli. Their task was to detect a subsequent tactile target either in-phase or out-of-phase with the rhythmic entrainment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed no evidence for sensory entrainment in response times, sensitivity or response bias. In line with several other recently reported null findings, our data suggest that behaviorally relevant sensory phase-entrainment might require very specific stimulus parameters, and may not generalize to the tactile domain.

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Transcranial alternating current stimulation modulates cortical processing of somatosensory information in a frequency- and time-specific manner

Cited by 14 publications

References 78 publications

Aftereffects of alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation over the primary sensorimotor cortex on cortical processing of pain

Aftereffects of alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation over the primary sensorimotor cortex on cortical processing of pain

A multi-channel electrophysiology approach to non-invasively and precisely record human spinal cord activity

No evidence for tactile entrainment of attention

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