Feature Papers in Neuromodulation and Brain Stimulation

A topical collection in Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This collection belongs to the section "Neurobiology and Clinical Neuroscience".

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Editors


E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
1. Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: neuromodulation; pain perception modulation; neurophysiology; neuroplasticity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Interests: neuromodulation; pain perception modulation; neurophysiology; neuroplasticity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
1. Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, GIGA Research Center, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
2. Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Interests: brain injury; disorders of consciousness; neuromodulation; rehabilitation; neurophysiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues

Recent evidence reveals how the nervous system is involved in almost all physiological activities of the human body, from cardiorespiratory rhythm and inflammation to perception and consciousness. Consequently, the nervous system's role is fundamental for keeping the “health–disease” balance, resilience across life, and overall well-being. Neuromodulation includes a myriad of non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches that aim to modulate nervous system activity to restore maladaptive neuroplasticity associated with multiple conditions, such as chronic pain, neurodegenerative diseases, brain injury, mental health conditions, and inflammatory diseases. The main intervention types include transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), spinal cord stimulation, nerve stimulation, and behavioral therapies such as meditation, mindfulness, mental imagery, and hypnosis. These techniques have shown positive effects on several medical conditions; however, their clinical validation, regulatory approval, and systematic use are still incipient, mainly due to unpowered studies, inappropriate parameter selection, and the lack of evidence integration. To accelerate the knowledge translation of neuromodulation, we must build a bridge between theoretical/technological development, clinical trial findings, meta-synthesis methods, and implementation strategies, including cost-effectiveness studies. A coherent and organized integration among these disciplines will foster neuromodulation translation to the clinic and unlock these therapies' real potential.

This Topical Collection aims to create a space for “cross-talk” between disciplines about the clinical translation of neuromodulatory techniques, from theoretical and basic neuromodulation models to clinical findings. We welcome original research papers, theoretical and methodology papers, and review papers describing the generation, use, and knowledge translation of neuromodulation, especially those exploring new technologies, precision medicine, transdiagnosis approach, and biomarkers.

Prof. Dr. Felipe Fregni
Dr. Kevin Pacheco-Barrios
Dr. Aurore Thibaut
Collection Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neuromodulation
  • non-pharmacological interventions
  • neuropsychiatric conditions
  • chronic pain
  • brain injury
  • computational models

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

2024

10 pages, 1346 KiB  
Article
Efficacy of High-Definition Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (HD-tACS) at the M1 Hotspot Versus C3 Site in Modulating Corticospinal Tract Excitability
by Hao Meng, Michael Houston, Nicholas Dias, Chen Guo, Gerard Francisco, Yingchun Zhang and Sheng Li
Biomedicines 2024, 12(11), 2635; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12112635 - 19 Nov 2024
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Abstract
Previous studies have shown that beta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied at the M1 hotspot can modulate corticospinal excitability. However, it remains controversial whether tACS can influence motor unit activities at the spinal cord level. This study aims to compare the efficacy [...] Read more.
Previous studies have shown that beta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied at the M1 hotspot can modulate corticospinal excitability. However, it remains controversial whether tACS can influence motor unit activities at the spinal cord level. This study aims to compare the efficacy of applying tACS over the hotspot versus the conventional C3 site on motor unit activities and subsequent behavioral changes. This study used a randomized crossover trial design, where fifteen healthy participants performed a paced ball-squeezing exercise while receiving high-definition tACS (HD-tACS) at 21 Hz and 2 mA for 20 min. HD-tACS targeted either the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) hotspot or the C3 site, with the order of stimulation randomized for each participant and a 1-week washout period between sessions. Motor unit activities were recorded from the FDS. HD-tACS intervention significantly reduced the variability of motor unit firing rates and increased force variability during isometric force production. The significant modulation effects were seen only when the intervention was applied at the hotspot, but not at the C3 site. Our findings demonstrate that HD-tACS significantly modulates motor unit activities and force variability. The results indicate that cortical-level entrainment by tACS can lead to the modulation of spinal motor neuron activities. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that the C3 site may not be the optimal target for tACS intervention for hand muscles, highlighting the need for personalized neuromodulation strategies. Full article
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14 pages, 1505 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Link between Endogenous Pain Modulation Changes and Clinical Improvement in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Meta-Regression Analysis
by Kevin Pacheco-Barrios, Rafaela Machado Filardi, Luis Fernando González-González, Nayeon Park, Fernanda Queiroz Petrus, Alba Navarro-Flores, Silvia Di-Bonaventura, Luana Gola Alves, Fernanda Queiroz and Felipe Fregni
Biomedicines 2024, 12(9), 2097; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12092097 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 976
Abstract
Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and temporal summation (TS) tests can measure the ability to inhibit pain in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients and its level of pain sensitization, respectively. However, their clinical validity is still unclear. We studied the association between changes in the [...] Read more.
Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and temporal summation (TS) tests can measure the ability to inhibit pain in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients and its level of pain sensitization, respectively. However, their clinical validity is still unclear. We studied the association between changes in the CPM and TS tests and the clinical improvement of FMS patients who received therapeutic intervention. We systematically searched for FMS randomized clinical trials with data on therapeutic interventions comparing clinical improvement (pain intensity and symptom severity reduction), CPM, and TS changes relative to control interventions. To study the relationship between TS/CPM and clinical measures, we performed a meta-regression analysis to calculate odds ratios. We included nine studies (484 participants). We found no significant changes in TS or CPM by studying all the interventions together. Our findings show that this lack of difference is likely because pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions resulted in contrary effects. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as non-invasive neuromodulation, showed the largest effects normalizing CPM/TS. Meta-regression was significantly associated with pain reduction and symptom severity improvement with normalization of TS and CPM. We demonstrate an association between clinical improvement and TS/CPM normalization in FMS patients. Thus, the TS and CPM tests could be surrogate biomarkers in FMS management. Recovering defective endogenous pain modulation mechanisms by targeted non-pharmacological interventions may help establish long-term clinical recovery in FMS patients. Full article
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