TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation
Research Papers
Functional disorders - new proposals for definition, psychosomatics, somatization
Functional Disorders are common medical problems both in primary and in secondary health care. The mechanisms that cause symptoms such as primary pain, fatigue, dizziness are still unknown. Various classifications, including ICD-10 or DSM-5, describe these conditions differently, and new proposals are being developed e.g. in ICD-11, RDoC. Many controversies are evoked by lack of unequivocal explanatory theory. The early psychoanalytical concept has been modified by other explanations, such as immunological abnormalities, dysfunction of vegetative system and HPA axis, central sensitization, diverted processes of perception or predictive processes within cognitive homeostasis dysregulation. Insufficient scientific evidence makes therapies unsuccessful and justifies further study. Psychotherapy, pharmacology and complementary medicine are supplemented by new experimental methods of treatment connected with progress in neuroscience. The recently developed non-invasive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and - neurofeedback (EEG-NF), based on EEG registration, are undergoing tests. Applying complex mathematical algorithms to localized bioelectrical signal sources makes it possible to modulate and reshape connections of neuronal networks within specific cortex areas. This article presents the current state of knowledge concerning functional disorders, highlighting the ways in which different definitions of FD have an impact on approaches to treatment.
View Full Paper →Non-Pharmacological Management of Painful Peripheral Neuropathies: A Systematic Review
INTRODUCTION: Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) is defined as the neuropathic pain that arises either acutely or in the chronic phase of a lesion or disease affecting the peripheral nervous system. PNP is associated with a remarkable disease burden, and there is an increasing demand for new therapies to be used in isolation or combination with currently available treatments. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence, derived from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assess non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of PNP. METHODS: After a systematic Medline search, we identified 18 papers eligible to be included. RESULTS: The currently best available evidence (level II of evidence) exist for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. In particular, spinal cord stimulation as adjuvant to conventional medical treatment can be effectively used for the management of patients with refractory pain. Similarly, adjuvant repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex is effective in reducing the overall pain intensity, whereas adjuvant static magnetic field therapy can lead to a significant decrease in exercise-induced pain. Weaker evidence (level III of evidence) exists for the use of acupuncture as a monotherapy and neurofeedback, either as an add-on or a monotherapy approach, for treatment of painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy CONCLUSIONS: Future RCTs should be conducted to shed more light in the use of non-pharmacological approaches in patients with PNP.
View Full Paper →Efficacy of Invasive and Non-Invasive Brain Modulation Interventions for Addiction
It is important to find new treatments for addiction due to high relapse rates despite current interventions and due to expansion of the field with non-substance related addictive behaviors. Neuromodulation may provide a new type of treatment for addiction since it can directly target abnormalities in neurocircuits. We review literature on five neuromodulation techniques investigated for efficacy in substance related and behavioral addictions: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), (repetitive) transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), EEG, fMRI neurofeedback and deep brain stimulation (DBS) and additionally report on effects of these interventions on addiction-related cognitive processes. While rTMS and tDCS, mostly applied at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, show reductions in immediate craving for various addictive substances, placebo-responses are high and long-term outcomes are understudied. The lack in well-designed EEG-neurofeedback studies despite decades of investigation impedes conclusions about its efficacy. Studies investigating fMRI neurofeedback are new and show initial promising effects on craving, but future trials are needed to investigate long-term and behavioral effects. Case studies report prolonged abstinence of opioids or alcohol with ventral striatal DBS but difficulties with patient inclusion may hinder larger, controlled trials. DBS in neuropsychiatric patients modulates brain circuits involved in reward processing, extinction and negative-reinforcement that are also relevant for addiction. To establish the potential of neuromodulation for addiction, more randomized controlled trials are needed that also investigate treatment duration required for long-term abstinence and potential synergy with other addiction interventions. Finally, future advancement may be expected from tailoring neuromodulation techniques to specific patient (neurocognitive) profiles.
View Full Paper →Neuromodulation for tinnitus treatment: an overview of invasive and non-invasive techniques
Tinnitus is defined as a perception of sound without any external sound source. Chronic tinnitus is a frequent condition that can affect the quality of life. So far, no causal cure for tinnitus has been documented, and most pharmacologic and psychosomatic treatment modalities aim to diminish tinnitus' impact on the quality of life. Neuromodulation, a novel therapeutic modality, which aims at alternating nerve activity through a targeted delivery of a stimulus, has emerged as a potential option in tinnitus treatment. This review provides a brief overview of the current neuromodulation techniques as tinnitus treatment options. The main intention is to provide updated knowledge especially for medical professionals counselling tinnitus patients in this emerging field of medicine. Non-invasive methods such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial electrical stimulation, neurofeedback, and transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation were included, as well as invasive methods such as implanted vagus nerve stimulation and invasive brain stimulation. Some of these neuromodulation techniques revealed promising results; nevertheless, further research is needed, especially regarding the pathophysiological principle as to how these neuromodulation techniques work and what neuronal change they induce. Various studies suggest that individually different brain states and networks are involved in the generation and perception of tinnitus. Therefore, in the future, individually tailored neuromodulation strategies could be a promising approach in tinnitus treatment for achieving a more substantial and longer lasting improvement of complaints.
View Full Paper →Anterior cingulate implants for tinnitus: report of 2 cases
Tinnitus can be distressful, and tinnitus distress has been linked to increased beta oscillatory activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The amount of distress is linked to alpha activity in the medial temporal lobe (amygdala and parahippocampal area), as well as the subgenual (sg)ACC and insula, and the functional connectivity between the parahippocampal area and the sgACC at 10 and 11.5 Hz. The authors describe 2 patients with very severely distressing intractable tinnitus who underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with a double-cone coil targeting the dACC and subsequent implantation of electrodes on the dACC. One of the patients responded to the implant and one did not, even though phenomenologically they both expressed the same tinnitus loudness and distress. The responder has remained dramatically improved for more than 2 years with 6-Hz burst stimulation of the dACC. The 2 patients differed in functional connectivity between the area of the implant and a tinnitus network consisting of the parahippocampal area as well as the sgACC and insula; that is, the responder had increased functional connectivity between these areas, whereas the nonresponder had decreased functional connectivity between these areas. Only the patient with increased functional connectivity linked to the target area of repetitive TMS or implantation might transmit the stimulation current to the entire tinnitus network and thus clinically improve.
View Full Paper →Neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches to study eating behavior and prevent and treat eating disorders and obesity
Functional, molecular and genetic neuroimaging has highlighted the existence of brain anomalies and neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating disorders such as binge eating or anorexia nervosa. In particular, decreased basal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and striatum as well as dopaminergic alterations have been described in obese subjects, in parallel with increased activation of reward brain areas in response to palatable food cues. Elevated reward region responsivity may trigger food craving and predict future weight gain. This opens the way to prevention studies using functional and molecular neuroimaging to perform early diagnostics and to phenotype subjects at risk by exploring different neurobehavioral dimensions of the food choices and motivation processes. In the first part of this review, advantages and limitations of neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), pharmacogenetic fMRI and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be discussed in the context of recent work dealing with eating behavior, with a particular focus on obesity. In the second part of the review, non-invasive strategies to modulate food-related brain processes and functions will be presented. At the leading edge of non-invasive brain-based technologies is real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback, which is a powerful tool to better understand the complexity of human brain-behavior relationships. rtfMRI, alone or when combined with other techniques and tools such as EEG and cognitive therapy, could be used to alter neural plasticity and learned behavior to optimize and/or restore healthy cognition and eating behavior. Other promising non-invasive neuromodulation approaches being explored are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). Converging evidence points at the value of these non-invasive neuromodulation strategies to study basic mechanisms underlying eating behavior and to treat its disorders. Both of these approaches will be compared in light of recent work in this field, while addressing technical and practical questions. The third part of this review will be dedicated to invasive neuromodulation strategies, such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS). In combination with neuroimaging approaches, these techniques are promising experimental tools to unravel the intricate relationships between homeostatic and hedonic brain circuits. Their potential as additional therapeutic tools to combat pharmacorefractory morbid obesity or acute eating disorders will be discussed, in terms of technical challenges, applicability and ethics. In a general discussion, we will put the brain at the core of fundamental research, prevention and therapy in the context of obesity and eating disorders. First, we will discuss the possibility to identify new biological markers of brain functions. Second, we will highlight the potential of neuroimaging and neuromodulation in individualized medicine. Third, we will introduce the ethical questions that are concomitant to the emergence of new neuromodulation therapies.
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