Brain Oscillations and Neural States

IRCCS San Camillo, Venezia, Italy30 enrolled

Overview

The study aims to investigate, through the use of electroencephalography (EEG), instantaneous brain states, namely rapid oscillations of the brain's electrical activity, and their relationship with behavior and brain functions. The study will focus on three main objectives: (1) establishing a relationship between brain oscillations and behavior; (2) establishing a relationship between brain oscillations and brain functions, in terms of neural responsiveness; and (3) identifying the different phases of brain oscillations and investigating any related modulations of behavior and brain functions. PHAROS will combine EEG with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate and modulate brain states non-invasively.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimilation

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy adults Exclusion Criteria: * Left-handedness (assessed through the Oldfield test) * Diagnosis of neurological or psychiatric disorders * Vision problems that prevent reading, not correctable with lenses * Diagnosis of substance dependence on drugs or alcohol * Presence of hearing aids/prostheses * Diagnosis of epilepsy or family history up to the second degree with it * Episodes of febrile convulsions or recurrent fainting * Head trauma * Presence of surgical clips or metal implants in the head * Diagnosis of heart disease * Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or artificial heart valve * Presence of hearing aids/prostheses * Hearing problems or tinnitus * Vision problems not corrected with lenses (such as color blindness) * Taking tricyclic antidepressant medications * Taking neuroleptic medications * Diagnosis of headache or migraine * Taking more than 3 alcoholic units in the last 24 hours * Taking 2 or more cups of coffee or caffeine from other sources in the last 2 hours

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Motor-evoked potential

Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) will be recorded from the right index-finger abductor muscle following single-pulse TMS delivered over the primary motor cortex. MEPs will be used as an index of corticospinal excitability. The main outcome measure will be the peak-to-peak MEP amplitude, calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum EMG signal within the post-stimulation time window.

Time frame: Baseline