Elsevier

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Volume 49, February 2015, Pages 114-124
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Review
The contribution of TMS–EEG coregistration in the exploration of the human cortical connectome

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.12.014Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • TMS–EEG coregistration directly tests cortical networks at a high temporal resolution.

  • It allows verifying the suggested macroscale organisation of the brain connectome.

  • TMS–EEG has revealed segregated functional networks at rest.

  • Changes in connectivity with different states and tasks have been highlighted.

  • Emerging applications in brain disorders, e.g. disorders of consciousness.

Abstract

Recent developments in neuroscience have emphasised the importance of integrated distributed networks of brain areas for successful cognitive functioning. Our current understanding is that the brain has a modular organisation in which segregated networks supporting specialised processing are linked through a few long-range connections, ensuring processing integration. Although such architecture is structurally stable, it appears to be flexible in its functioning, enabling long-range connections to regulate the information flow and facilitate communication among the relevant modules, depending on the contingent cognitive demands. Here we show how insights brought by the coregistration of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS–EEG) integrate and support recent models of functional brain architecture. Moreover, we will highlight the types of data that can be obtained through TMS–EEG, such as the timing of signal propagation, the excitatory/inhibitory nature of connections and causality. Last, we will discuss recent emerging applications of TMS–EEG in the study of brain disorders.

Keywords

Effective connectivity
Functional connectivity
TMS-evoked potential TEP
Graph theory
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Coregistration
Connections
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS)

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