Advances in the Study of Cortical Excitability, Connectivity and Plasticity by Using TMS-EEG and Other Neurophysiological Techniques

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most important abilities of the human brain is to change its structural and functional organization in response to a variety of events, such as exposure to sensory inputs, learning of motor skills, aging, and disease processes. This ability, summarized under the general term of neural plasticity, refers to a range of diverse biological phenomena, from changes in intrinsic neuronal excitability to variations in the strength of synaptic connections across large-scale brain networks. In the last two decades, a great effort has been devoted to clarifying how these processes interact to shape electrophysiological properties of the brain, including spontaneous oscillatory activity and responses to external perturbations. The combination of techniques designed to provide readouts of the electrical activity of the brain (electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography) or to transiently interact with cortical circuitry (transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation) provides powerful methods to assess local cortical responses and characterize causal interactions between distant brain areas. While some working principles of these techniques have been elucidated, much work is still needed to frame them in a broad physiological context and in the investigation of brain diseases. In this view, the aim of this Special Issue is to explore advancements in the study of cortical physiology and pathophysiology by using TMS-EEG and other cutting-edge neurophysiological techniques. We invite methodologically rigorous contributions in the form of original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and case reports investigating normal physiology, as well as central nervous system disorders.

Dr. Florinda Ferreri
Guest Editor

Dr. Andrea Guerra
Dr. Sara Määttä
Dr. Lorenzo Rocchi
Co-Guest Editors

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