Reliable and efficient transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) using ultra-thin active...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electroencephalography (EEG) is crucial for assessing cortical excitability and connectivity.
• Traditional passive electrodes require extensive preparation and are sensitive to contact quality.
• Active electrodes offer ease of use but suffer from artifacts and increased height.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate an ultra-thin active electrode system with artifact suppression for TMS-EEG.
• To compare the reliability and efficiency of new active electrodes against traditional passive electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Developed an ultra-thin active electrode system with integrated hardware and software artifact suppression.
• Collected EEG data from 10 healthy adults during TMS of the left primary motor cortex.
• Compared recordings from active and passive electrodes, analyzing early and late evoked responses for consistency and amplitude variability.

Main Results:

• High consistency was observed between active and passive electrode recordings.
• Stable waveforms were achieved after 20-30 trials.
• No significant differences in response amplitudes were found between the two electrode types.

Conclusions:

• The developed active electrode system provides reliable and efficient TMS-EEG recordings.
• This technology simplifies the recording process without compromising data quality.
• The findings support the broader adoption of active electrode systems in neuroscientific research.