Test and re-test reliability of optimal stimulation targets and parameters for personalized neuromodulation

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroscience Vol. 17; p. 1153786
• Main Authors: Fang, Feng, Cammon, Jared, Li, Rihui, Zhang, Yingchun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 12.05.2023; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Biomarkers; brain controllability; Brain research; Control theory; Convulsions & seizures; DTI; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mental disorders; Neuromodulation; Neuroscience; optimal control analysis; optimal neuromodulation; resting fMRI; Structure-function relationships; test–retest reliability; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Beijing China; China; DTI; optimal neuromodulation; test–retest reliability; resting fMRI; brain controllability; optimal control analysis
• ISSN: 1662-453X; 1662-4548; 1662-453X
• DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1153786

Protocols have been proposed to optimize neuromodulation targets and parameters to increase treatment efficacies for different neuropsychiatric diseases. However, no study has investigated the temporal effects of optimal neuromodulation targets and parameters simultaneously via exploring the test–retest reliability of the optimal neuromodulation protocols. In this study, we employed a publicly available structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset to investigate the temporal effects of the optimal neuromodulation targets and parameters inferred from our customized neuromodulation protocol and examine the test–retest reliability over scanning time. 57 healthy young subjects were included in this study. Each subject underwent a repeated structural and resting state fMRI scan in two visits with an interval of 6 weeks between two scanning visits. Brain controllability analysis was performed to determine the optimal neuromodulation targets and optimal control analysis was further applied to calculate the optimal neuromodulation parameters for specific brain states transition. Intra-class correlation (ICC) measure was utilized to examine the test–retest reliability. Our results demonstrated that the optimal neuromodulation targets and parameters had excellent test–retest reliability (both ICCs > 0.80). The test–retest reliability of model fitting accuracies between the actual final state and the simulated final state also showed a good test–retest reliability (ICC > 0.65). Our results indicated the validity of our customized neuromodulation protocol to reliably identify the optimal neuromodulation targets and parameters between visits, which may be reliably extended to optimize the neuromodulation protocols to efficiently treat different neuropsychiatric disorders.