Examining the neural mechanisms of rTMS: a naturalistic pilot study of acute and serial effects in pharmacoresistant depression.

Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of therapeutic repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to treat pharmacoresistant depression. Nevertheless, these trials have primarily focused on the therapeutic and neurophysiological effects of rTMS following a long-term treatment course. Identifying brain-based biomarkers of early rTMS therapeutic response remains an important unanswered question.

Brain instability in dynamic functional connectivity in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with altered connectivity of brain functional networks (BFNs). Researchers have observed a profound disruption in prefrontal-temporal interactions, damage to hub regions in brain networks and modified topological organization of BFNs in schizophrenia (SCZ) individuals. Assessment of BFNs with dynamic approaches allow the characterization of new functional structures, such as topological stability patterns and temporal connectivity, which are not accessible through static methods.

Brain Asymmetry in Pain Affective Modulation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the dynamic brain networks underlying the affective modulation of pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral image perception due to painful stimulations in healthy subjects.

Methods: Forty volunteers, 20 men and 20 women, participated in this study. Brain activity was recorded by 64-channel electroencephalography.