Connectivity Analysis during Rubber Hand Illusion-A Pilot TMS-EEG Study in a Patient with SCI

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Brain Connectivity

Background:

• Bodily self-perception is crucial in neurological disorders like spinal cord injury (SCI).
• The rubber hand illusion (RHI) alters sensory pathways and brain connectivity.
• Understanding these changes is key to addressing functional impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if cortical excitability manipulation affects bodily self-perception.
• To compare brain connectivity when RHI is not evoked.
• To examine these effects in a patient with SCI.

Main Methods:

• Applied RHI and theta burst stimulation (TBS) to the somatosensory cortex.
• Recorded high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) in 18 healthy participants and one SCI patient.
• Analyzed directed and non-directed connectivity measures.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in connectivity between sham and real TBS or RHI effectiveness.
• The SCI patient exhibited higher right and lower left hemisphere connectivity (laterality).
• Overall connectivity patterns were similar between healthy participants and the SCI patient.

Conclusions:

• The observed laterality in the SCI patient may reflect neuroplasticity to compensate for functional deficits.
• Cortico-cortical communication remained unaltered regardless of RHI provocation.
• The rubber hand illusion's effect was not detectable via EEG analysis in this study.