Analysing concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalographic data: a review and introduction to the open-source TESA software
Open accessAbstract
The concurrent use of transcranial magnetic stimulation with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) is growing in popularity as a method for assessing various cortical properties such as excitability, oscillations and connectivity. However, this combination of methods is technically challenging, resulting in artifacts both during recording and following typical EEG analysis methods, which can distort the underlying neural signal. In this article, we review the causes of artifacts in EEG recordings resulting from TMS, as well as artifacts introduced during analysis (e.g. as the result of filtering over high-frequency, large amplitude artifacts). We then discuss methods for removing artifacts, and ways of designing pipelines to minimise analysis-related artifacts. Finally, we introduce the TMS-EEG signal analyser (TESA), an open-source extension for EEGLAB, which includes functions that are specific for TMS-EEG analysis, such as removing and interpolating the TMS pulse artifact, removing and minimising TMS-evoked muscle activity, and analysing TMS-evoked potentials. The aims of TESA are to provide users with easy access to current TMS-EEG analysis methods and to encourage direct comparisons of these methods and pipelines. It is hoped that providing open-source functions will aid in both improving and standardising analysis across the field of TMS-EEG research.
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Both rounds of component rejection following FastICA used a semiautomated artefact detection algorithm based on previous research and the TESA toolbox.
“Both rounds of component rejection following FastICA utilised a semiautomated artefact detection algorithm, based on previous research (Rogasch et al., 2014) and using TESA toolbox (Rogasch et al., 2017).”
From Investigation of neurobiological responses to theta burst stimulation during recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) (2023) · cites this paper as Rogasch et al., 2017
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Self-citationCharacterizing and minimizing the contribution of sensory inputs to TMS-evoked potentials
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Self-citationMild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study
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- Authors
- Rogasch, N. C., Sullivan, C., Thomson, R. H., Rose, N. S., Bailey, N. W., Fitzgerald, P. B., Farzan, F., & Hernandez-Pavon, J. C.
- Affiliations
- Monash University (AU)
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research centre (AU)
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
- Aalto University (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Rogasch, Nigel C.
- ORCID
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-02
- Volume
- 147
- Pages
- 934-951
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2536427815
- Cited by
- 411
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 1.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Aaltodoc (Aalto University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2015-05783)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (1072057, 1078567)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- TMS-EEG, transcranial magnetic stimulation, EEG artifacts, artifact removal, TMS-evoked potentials, open source software, data analysis pipeline, cortical excitability, EEG filtering
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Humans, Artifacts, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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