Neuro-Cardiac-Guided TMS (NCG-TMS): Probing DLPFC-sgACC-vagus nerve connectivity using heart rate - First results.

BACKGROUND

Given that many studies suggest a role of DLPFC-sgACC connectivity in depression and prior research demonstrating that neuromodulation of either of these nodes modulates parasympathetic activity and results in a heart rate deceleration, a new method is proposed to individualize localization of the DLPFC. This can, among others, be useful for rTMS treatment of depression.

METHODS

Ten healthy subjects received three trains of 10Hz rTMS randomly over 7 target regions (10-20 system).

RESULTS

Overall, F3 and F4 expressed the largest heart rate deceleration, in line with studies suggesting these are the best 10-20 sites to target the DLPFC. On the individual level, 20-40% subjects expressed the largest heart rate deceleration at FC3 or FC4, indicating individual differences as to the 'optimal site for stimulation'.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show that the NCG-TMS method is valid to localize the entry into the DLPFC-sgACC network.