Webinar: TMS Induced Current Direction for ALS Biomarker Sensitivity
Date and Time:
June 11, 2024 - 14:00 (BST)
Speaker:
Dr Rósín McMackin
Dr McMackin undertook her PhD in Clinical Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, using EEG and TMS to study cortical network malfunction in motor neurone disease. She subsequently undertook postdoctoral work expanding this work to see if EEG and TMS-based measures can be used as motor neurone disease biomarkers. Dr McMackin is now an Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Physiology at Trinity College Dublin, where her team continue to research how we can sensitively, economically and non-invasively measure normal and impaired brain activity using electrophysiological methods. Roisin is particularly focussed on undertaking research which is clinically translatable, which can lead to more accurate detection, prediction and treatment of diseases.
Abstract:
In this webinar, we delve into a pivotal study aiming to elucidate the impact of induced current direction across the motor cortex on the sensitivity of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) as a potential biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Conducted on a cohort comprising 35 individuals with ALS and 39 controls, threshold tracking-TMS was utilised. Employing a coil orientation inducing posterior-anterior directed current, SICI (at 1 ms and 3 ms interstimulus intervals) and intracortical facilitation (at a 10 ms interstimulus interval) were recorded. Additionally, SICI at a 3 ms interval was assessed using a coil orientation eliciting anterior-posterior directed current across the motor cortex. This investigation sheds light on the nuanced interplay between current direction and cortical excitability, offering insights into the potential utility of TMS-evoked measures in ALS biomarker research. Join us as we unpack the findings and implications of this groundbreaking research.