The effects of theta burst stimulation (TBS) targeting the prefrontal cortex on executive functioning: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 10 February 2018 Source:Neuropsychologia Author(s): Cassandra J. Lowe, Felicia Manocchio, Adrian B. Safati, Peter A. Hall Continuous theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a highly efficient variant of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) employed in experimental and clinical treatment paradigms. Despite widespread usage of TBS targeting the prefrontal cortex (PFC), there has been no systematic review of the evidence linking TBS protocols to changes in task performance on common measures of prefrontal function in general, and executive functions specifically. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases to identify articles examining the effects of TBS targeting the PFC on executive function task performance. Both up-regulating (intermittent theta burst stimulation; iTBS) and down-regulating (continuous theta burst stimulation; cTBS) variants of TBS were considered. 32 (29 cTBS; 8 iTBS) studies met the inclusion criteria. Participants (n=759; 51.41% female) were primarily young adults (M age=26), with one study examining the effects of cTBS and iTBS in older adults. Results from individual studies were converted to Hedge's g and random-effects models were used to estimate the overall effect size for each protocol. Age, biological sex, and control methodology were examined as potential moderators of the cTBS effect on executive function test performance. Finding...
Source: Neuropsychologia - Category: Neurology Source Type: research