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. 2022 Feb 1;39(2):135-148.
doi: 10.1097/WNP.0000000000000784.

Biomarkers Obtained by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Ali Jannati  1   2   3 , Mary A Ryan  1   2 , Harper L Kaye  4 , Melissa Tsuboyama  1 , Alexander Rotenberg  1   2   3
Affiliations

Biomarkers Obtained by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Ali Jannati et al. J Clin Neurophysiol. .

Abstract

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method for focal brain stimulation that is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction where small intracranial electric currents are generated by a powerful fluctuating magnetic field. Over the past three decades, TMS has shown promise in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders in adults. However, the use of TMS in children has been more limited. We provide a brief introduction to the TMS technique; common TMS protocols including single-pulse TMS, paired-pulse TMS, paired associative stimulation, and repetitive TMS; and relevant TMS-derived neurophysiological measurements including resting and active motor threshold, cortical silent period, paired-pulse TMS measures of intracortical inhibition and facilitation, and plasticity metrics after repetitive TMS. We then discuss the biomarker applications of TMS in a few representative neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome, and developmental stuttering.

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Conflict of interest statement

A. Rotenberg is a founder and advisor for Neuromotion, serves on the medical advisory board or has consulted for Cavion, Epihunter, Gamify, Neural Dynamics, NeuroRex, Roche, Otsuka, and is listed as inventor on a patent related to integration of TMS and EEG. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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