The experimental combination of rTMS and fMRI reveals the functional relevance of parietal cortex for visuospatial functions

Sack, AT; Hubl, D; Prvulovic, D; Formisano, E; Jandl, M; Zanella, FE; Maurer, K; Goebel, R; Dierks, T; Linden, D.E. (2002). The experimental combination of rTMS and fMRI reveals the functional relevance of parietal cortex for visuospatial functions. Cognitive brain research, 13(1), pp. 85-93. Amsterdam: Elsevier 10.1016/S0926-6410(01)00087-8

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We combined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the functional relevance of parietal cortex activation during the performance of visuospatial tasks. fMRI provides information about local transient changes in neuronal activation during behavioural or cognitive tasks. Information on the functional relevance of this activation was obtained by using rTMS to induce temporary regional deactivations. We thereby turned the physiological parameter of brain activity into an independent variable controlled and manipulated by the experimenter and investigated its effect on the performance of the cognitive tasks within a controlled experimental design. We investigated cognitive tasks that were performed on the same visual material but differed in the demand on visuospatial functions. For the visuospatial tasks we found a selective enhancement of fMRI signal in the superior parietal lobule (SPL) and a selective impairment of performance after rTMS to this region in comparison to a control group. We could thus show that the parietal cortex is functionally important for the execution of spatial judgements on visually presented material and that TMS as an experimental tool has the potential to interfere with higher cognitive functions such as visuospatial information processing.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > UPD Murtenstrasse

UniBE Contributor:

Hubl, Daniela

ISSN:

0926-6410

ISBN:

11867253

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:55

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:17

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/S0926-6410(01)00087-8

PubMed ID:

11867253

Web of Science ID:

000174734400008

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/23466 (FactScience: 41914)

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