Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute and Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.
Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute and Brain Mind Institute, Clinique Romande de Réadaptation, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland.
Nat Neurosci. 2023 Nov;26(11):2005-2016. doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01457-7. Epub 2023 Oct 19.
The stimulation of deep brain structures has thus far only been possible with invasive methods. Transcranial electrical temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel, noninvasive technology that might overcome this limitation. The initial proof-of-concept was obtained through modeling, physics experiments and rodent models. Here we show successful noninvasive neuromodulation of the striatum via tTIS in humans using computational modeling, functional magnetic resonance imaging studies and behavioral evaluations. Theta-burst patterned striatal tTIS increased activity in the striatum and associated motor network. Furthermore, striatal tTIS enhanced motor performance, especially in healthy older participants as they have lower natural learning skills than younger subjects. These findings place tTIS as an exciting new method to target deep brain structures in humans noninvasively, thus enhancing our understanding of their functional role. Moreover, our results lay the groundwork for innovative, noninvasive treatment strategies for brain disorders in which deep striatal structures play key pathophysiological roles.
迄今为止，深部脑结构的刺激只能通过有创方法实现。经颅电刺激颞部干扰（tTIS）是一种新颖的、非侵入性技术，可能克服这一限制。最初的概念验证是通过建模、物理实验和啮齿动物模型获得的。在这里，我们通过计算建模、功能磁共振成像研究和行为评估，在人类中展示了通过 tTIS 对纹状体进行成功的非侵入性神经调节。θ爆发模式的纹状体 tTIS 增加了纹状体和相关运动网络的活动。此外，纹状体 tTIS 增强了运动表现，特别是在健康的老年参与者中，因为他们的自然学习技能比年轻参与者低。这些发现将 tTIS 作为一种令人兴奋的新方法，可以非侵入性地靶向深部脑结构，从而增强我们对其功能作用的理解。此外，我们的结果为创新的、非侵入性的治疗策略奠定了基础，这些策略针对深部纹状体结构在其中发挥关键病理生理作用的脑部疾病。
