Upcoming Webinar: Does Microstructure Alter Rapidly After rTMS? Evidence From Quadripulse Stimulation
Several studies have reported immediate microstructural changes in the human brain following behavioural training. However, it remains unclear whether such changes occur after repetitive stimulation of a single brain region using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). This is challenged by the large inter-individual variability in rTMS after-effect, while this knowledge is crucial for clarifying the mechanism of rTMS.
In this webinar, Dr Kimura will present the recently published study investigating the immediate microstructural effects of Quadri-Pulse Stimulation (QPS), a patterned rTMS protocol known for inducing relatively strong and robust after-effects. Sixteen right-handed, healthy adults participated in excitatory and inhibitory protocols of QPS over the left primary motor cortex. Using diffusion and resting-state functional MRI, we assessed changes in microstructures and functions after QPS. Our results revealed no significant microstructural changes in the cerebral cortex after either protocol of QPS. Furthermore, microstructural changes were not correlated with the functional changes in any brain region. These findings suggest that repetitive stimulation of a single brain region may be insufficient to induce immediate microstructural changes. Please join us to discuss the results of this study and microstructural plasticity in general.
Speaker: Dr Ikko Kimura
Dr Ikko Kimura specialises in neuromodulation and neuroimaging. After completing his clinical residency at Osaka University Hospital, he earned a PhD in Science from Osaka University, focusing on the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). His research aimed to predict rTMS outcomes by brain microstructures for personalized therapies.
Dr Kimura then joined the RIKEN Institute as a Special Postdoctoral Researcher, where he advanced neuroimaging methods, particularly for high-resolution laminar MRI. Currently, Dr Kimura is a postdoctoral researcher at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) at Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, where he focuses on simulating the after-effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) to optimize neuromodulation therapies.