Multi-scale modelling of location- and frequency-dependent synaptic plasticity induced by repetitive magnetic...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) induces long-term changes in synapses, but the mechanisms behind these modifications are not fully understood. Although there has been progress in the development of multi-scale modeling tools, no comprehensive module for simulating rTMS-induced synaptic plasticity in biophysically realistic neurons exists.

We developed a modelling framework that allows the replication and detailed prediction of long-term changes of excitatory synapses in neurons stimulated by rTMS.

We implemented a voltage-dependent plasticity model that has been previously established for simulating frequency-, time-, and compartment-dependent spatio-temporal changes of excitatory synapses in neuronal dendrites. The plasticity model can be incorporated into biophysical neuronal models and coupled to electrical field simulations.

We show that the plasticity modelling framework replicates long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells evoked by 10-Hz repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS). In line with previous experimental studies, this plasticity was strongly distance dependent and localised to the proximal synapses of the neuron. We predicted a decrease in the plasticity amplitude for 5 Hz and 1 Hz protocols with decreasing frequency. Finally, we successfully modelled plasticity in distal synapses upon local electrical theta-burst stimulation (TBS) and predicted proximal and distal plasticity for rMS TBS. Notably, the rMS TBS-evoked synaptic plasticity exhibited robust facilitation by dendritic spikes and low sensitivity to inhibitory suppression.

The plasticity modelling framework enables precise simulations of LTP-like cellular effects with high spatio-temporal resolution, enhancing the efficiency of parameter screening and the development of plasticity-inducing rTMS protocols.