Phivos PhylactouOur latest work now on @biorxiv_neursci
Through meta-analysis we show that TMS phosphene & motor thresholds are correlated.
Read the preprint for details, or continue reading this thread for more. @daspainbrain
In TMS, we often measure cortical excitability through the motor threshold (MT) and we rely on this estimate even when we stimulate outside the motor cortex. Though, this rests on the assumption that MT serves as a 'global' measure of excitability.
Whether MT serves as a global measure remains questionable. One way to investigate this, is to test its relationship with another TMS measure of excitability, the phosphene threshold (PT).
A few studies have tried to clarify whether PT and MT are correlated, though they provided contradictory findings. We gathered them all, and conducted a meta-correlation revealing that the two are correlated (ρ = 0.4).
This correlation remained robust in all subsequent exploratory analyses. The exploratory analyses showed that different parameters (such as single vs paired pulse for PT, and 50 vs. 100 μV for MT), affect the linear relationship.
Also, with a subset of our data, we found that PT intensities are higher than MT.
Our findings support the idea of MT as a global excitability measure, which is important for designing both applied and basic TMS and rTMS studies. For a detailed discussion of our findings, remaining questions, and future directions, make sure to check out our preprint.
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