Effect of peripheral nerve continous theta burst stimulation (peripheral-cTBS) on cortical excitability

Panpallı Ateş, M., Effect of Peripheral Nerve Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation ("Peripheral-cTBS") on Cortical Excitability, Hacettepe University Institute of Health Sciences -Advanced Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences Program Master's Degree Thesis, Ankara, 2024. In our study, it is similar to cortical cTBS stimulation. In this way, it was aimed to examine cortical excitability changes with electrical stimulation of a peripheral nerve (peripheral-cTBS) in theta burst pattern. It was hypothesized that effects similar to cortical cTBS application could be created on cortical excitability through thalamocortical projections of somatosensory peripheral electrical inputs. To evaluate the hypothesis, somatosensory evoked potentials and cortical excitability studies were performed before peripheral-cTBS application; cortical silent period (CoSS), short latency afferent inhibition (SAI), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) measurements were obtained after peripheral-cTBS application. were compared with measurements of the same parameters. In accordance with the study hypothesis in which the modulatory effect of peripheral-cTBS on cortical excitability was evaluated, an inhibitory effect emerged in the circuits forming the SAI, and a decrease in inhibition (dis-inhibition) and a decrease in the facilitatory effect (dys-facilitation) were found as a result of inhibition in the circuits forming the ICF. On the other hand, the lack of change in SICI suggested that SAI and SICI were formed through different pathways, and that peripheral-cTBS contributed to the formation of SAI but did not affect SICI. With these results, additional new information has been added to the very few studies in the literature using peripheral-cTBS by examining previously unexamined pathways. Our results showed that peripheral-cTBS may have a modulatory effect on the motor cortex like cortical cTBS and can be used for cortical modulation.