Brain Perfusion Alterations Induced by Standalone and Combined Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
Lais Boralli Razza,
Pedro Henrique Rodrigues da Silva,
Geraldo F. Busatto,
Fábio Luis de Souza Duran,
Juliana Pereira,
Stefanie De Smet,
Izio Klein,
Tamires A. Zanão,
Matthias S. Luethi,
Chris Baeken,
Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt,
Carlos Alberto Buchpiguel,
André Russowsky Brunoni
Affiliations
Lais Boralli Razza
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Pedro Henrique Rodrigues da Silva
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Geraldo F. Busatto
Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21), Instituto de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil
Fábio Luis de Souza Duran
Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21), Instituto de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil
Juliana Pereira
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Stefanie De Smet
Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Izio Klein
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Tamires A. Zanão
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Matthias S. Luethi
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Chris Baeken
Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Carlos Alberto Buchpiguel
Divisão de Medicina Nuclear (LIM-43), Instituto de Radiologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil
André Russowsky Brunoni
Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-010, Brazil
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) interventions are promising for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Notwithstanding, the NIBS mechanisms of action over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a hub that modulates affective and cognitive processes, have not been completely mapped. We aimed to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes over the DLPFC and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) of different NIBS protocols using Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). A factorial, within-subjects, double-blinded study was performed. Twenty-three healthy subjects randomly underwent four sessions of NIBS applied once a week: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), combined tDCS + iTBS and placebo. The radiotracer 99m-Technetium-ethylene-cysteine-dimer was injected intravenously during the NIBS session, and SPECT neuroimages were acquired after the session. Results revealed that the combination of tDCS + iTBS increased right sgACC rCBF. Cathodal and anodal tDCS increased and decreased DLPFC rCBF, respectively, while iTBS showed no significant changes compared to the placebo. Our findings suggest that the combined protocol might optimize the activity in the right sgACC and encourage future trials with neuropsychiatric populations. Moreover, mechanistic studies to investigate the effects of tDCS and iTBS over the DLPFC are required.
