Cortical mapping of receptive language processing in children using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation

Publication date: Available online 13 December 2019Source: Epilepsy & BehaviorAuthor(s): Gunilla Rejnö-Habte Selassie, Göran Pegenius, Tomas Karlsson, Gerd Viggedal, Tove Hallböök, Mikael ElamAbstractWe used a stepwise process to develop a new paradigm for preoperative cortical mapping of receptive language in children, using temporary functional blocking with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The method combines short sentences with a lexical decision task in which children are asked to point at a picture that fits a short sentence delivered aurally. This was first tested with 24 healthy children aged 4–16 years. Next, 75 sentences and 25 slides were presented to five healthy children in a clinical setting without TMS. Responses were registered on a separate computer, and facial expressions and hand movements were filmed for later offline review. Technical adjustments were made to combine these elements with the existing TMS equipment. The audio-recorded sentences were presented before the visual stimuli. Sentence lists were constructed to avoid similar stimuli in a row. Two different baseline lists were used before the TMS registration; the second baseline resulted in faster responses and was chosen as the reference for possible response delays induced by TMS. Protocols for offline reviews were constructed. No response, incorrect response, self-correction, delayed response, and perseveration were considered clear stimulation effects, while poor attention, dis...
Source: Epilepsy and Behavior - Category: Neurology Source Type: research