Resting State Functional Connectivity Signature of Treatment Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

Han Yuan, Guofa Shou, Diamond Gleghorn, Lei Ding, Yoon Hee Cha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used in experimental protocols to treat mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS), a neurological condition that represents a maladaptive brain state resulting from entrainment to external oscillating motion. Medical treatments and biomarkers for MdDS remain limited but neuromodulation with rTMS has shown evidence for therapeutic effects. This study took a neuroimaging approach to examine the neuromodulatory effect of rTMS on MdDS. Twenty individuals with MdDS underwent five daily treatments of rTMS over bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Participants received 1 Hz over right DLPFC (1200 pulses) followed by 10 Hz over left DLPFC (2000 pulses). Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired before and after treatments to determine functional connectivity changes associated with a positive treatment effect. A single-subject-based analysis protocol was developed to capture the degree of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the rTMS target and the entorhinal cortex (EC), an area previously shown to be hypermetabolic in MdDS. Our results showed that rocking motion perception in subjects was modulated by rTMS over the DLPFC. Improvements in symptoms correlated most strongly with a post-rTMS reduction in functional connectivity between the left EC and the precuneus, right inferior parietal lobule, and the contralateral EC, which are part of the posterior default mode network. Positive response to rTMS correlated with higher baseline RSFC between the DLPFC and the EC. Our findings suggest that baseline prefrontal-limbic functional connectivity may serve as a predictor of treatment response to prefrontal stimulation in MdDS and that RSFC may serve as a dynamic biomarker of symptom status.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)617-626
Number of pages10
JournalBrain connectivity
Volume7
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, the William K. Warren Foundation, NIH/ NIDCD R03 DC010451 (Y.H.C.), an equipment grant from the MdDS Balance Disorders Foundation (Y.H.C.), and an award through NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 #1539068 (H.Y., L.D., Y.H.C.).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Keywords

  • BOLD fMRI
  • dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
  • resting state functional connectivity
  • transcranial magnetic stimulation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Resting State Functional Connectivity Signature of Treatment Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Mal de Debarquement Syndrome'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this