NTMS based tractography and segmental diffusion analysis in patients with brainstem gliomas: Risk stratification and clinical potential.

Introduction: Surgery on the brainstem level is associated with a high-risk of postoperative morbidity. Recently, we have introduced the combination of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography to define functionally relevant motor fibers tracts on the brainstem level to support operative planning and risk stratification in brainstem cavernomas.

Research Question: Evaluate this method and assess it's clinical impact for the surgery of brainstem gliomas.

No Impact of Functional Connectivity of the Motor System on the Resting Motor Threshold: A Replication Study.

The physiological mechanisms of corticospinal excitability and factors influencing its measurement with transcranial magnetic stimulation are still poorly understood. A recent study reported an impact of functional connectivity (FC) between the primary motor cortex (M1) and the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) on the resting motor threshold (RMT) of the dominant hemisphere. We aimed to replicate these findings in a larger sample of 38 healthy right-handed subjects with data from both hemispheres.