Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Electroencephalography Measures of Cortical Neuroplasticity Are Altered after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Abstract
While the potential long-term side effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are becoming increasingly recognized, the associated neurophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. However, changes in cortical inhibitory function and neuroplasticity have been suggested as possible contributing factors. The current study applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in conjunction with electroencephalography (combined TMS-EEG) to investigate further the effects of mTBI on these processes. In 17 patients with a history of mTBI and 15 healthy control subjects with no mTBI history, paired-pulse TMS-EEG measures of short- (SICI) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) were used to assess intracortical inhibitory function. Single-pulse TMS-EEG was used to assess neuroplastic changes in cortical excitability after application of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS, a plasticity inducing TMS paradigm). Inhibition of the TMS-evoked EEG potential after application of SICI and LICI was not different between groups. In contrast, the inhibitory effects of cTBS on both P30 ( p < 0.05) and N45 ( p = 0.04) TEP components was significantly increased in patients, with the modulation of N45 in patients significantly related to the time since injury ( p = 0.04). While these results provide further evidence that inhibitory circuits involving γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are modified after mTBI, they place greater emphasis on the plasticity of inhibitory networks involving…
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Previous assessment of neuroplasticity after mTBI was limited to an intervention thought to induce LTP-like effects.
“Second, previous assessment of neuroplasticity was limited to an intervention thought to induce long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects, whereas previous work from our group (Opie et al. 2019) and others (De Beaumont et al. 2012) suggests mTBI also influences long-term-depression (LTD)-like mechanisms.”
From Mild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study (2025) · cites this paper as Opie et al. 2019
A subtraction procedure was implemented to remove the TEP generated by the conditioning stimulus in paired-pulse data.
“Consistent with previously described methods (Opie et al. 2018, Opie et al. 2019, Sasaki et al. 2023), we therefore implemented a subtraction procedure to remove the TEP generated by the conditioning stimulus.”
From Mild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study (2025) · cites this paper as Opie et al. 2019
mTBI influences LTD-like mechanisms.
“Second, previous assessment of neuroplasticity was limited to an intervention thought to induce long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects, whereas previous work from our group (Opie et al. 2019) and others (De Beaumont et al. 2012) suggests mTBI also influences long-term-depression (LTD)-like mechanisms.”
From Mild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study (2025) · cites this paper as Opie et al. 2019
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Mild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study
Moore, E., Webb, E., Sasaki, R., Rogasch, N. C., Foo, N., Semmler, J. G., & Opie, G. M. (2025) · doi:10.1101/2025.05.22.655676 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Opie, G. M., Foo, N., Killington, M., Ridding, M. C., & Semmler, J. G.
- Affiliations
- The University of Adelaide (AU)
- Royal Adelaide Hospital (AU)
- Flinders University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Opie, George M.
- Venue
- Journal of Neurotrauma
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-09-10
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 19
- Pages
- 2774-2784
- ISSN
- 0897-7151 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-9042
- OpenAlex
- W2921963259
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 2.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Neurotrauma (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Glasgow
- Neurosurgical Research Foundation
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
- Keywords
- mild traumatic brain injury, intracortical inhibition, short-interval intracortical inhibition, long-interval intracortical inhibition, continuous theta burst stimulation, cortical excitability, GABAergic inhibition, GABAA receptor, time since injury
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Brain Concussion, Cerebral Cortex, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Male, Neural Inhibition, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons, Evoked Potentials, Motor, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Young Adult
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