Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40745321›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2025

iTBS on RDLPFC improves performance of motor imagery: a brain-computer interface study combining EEG and fNIRS.

Jialin Chen, Quan Liu, Gengbin Chen, Guiyuan Cai, Junbo Jiang, Xueru Yang, Chunqiu Tan, Cailin Zhang, Guangqing Xu, Yue Lan

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jialin Chen *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. 457523467@qq.com.
Quan Liu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Gengbin ChenDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Guiyuan CaiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Junbo JiangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Xueru YangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Chunqiu TanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Cailin ZhangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Guangqing XuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, No. 106 Zhongshan Road II, Guangzhou, 510080, P. R. China. guangchingx@163.com.
Yue LanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. bluemooning@163.com.

Funding

Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Program 202206010197 and 202201020378National Science Foundation of China 82072548National Science Foundation of China 82472619Natural Key Research and Development Program of China 2022YFC2009700
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSome individuals using brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) exhibit ineffective control during motor imagery-based BCI (MI-BCI) training. MI-BCI performance correlates with the activation in the frontoparietal attention network, premotor-parietal network, and supplementary motor area (SMA). This study aimed to enhance motor imagery ability and MI-BCI performance by modulating the excitability of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDLPFC) through intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), inducing neuroplastic changes.

methodsFifty-two healthy right-handed participants were randomly assigned to either the iTBS or sham group. They undertook two MI-BCI training sessions, with electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) used to assess acute neuroplasticity changes. The intervention was administered between sessions. Corticospinal excitability and motor imagery vividness were assessed using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) and the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-20 (KVIQ-20) before and following the trial.

resultsThe iTBS group significantly improved motor state percentage (MSP). Significant µ event-related desynchronization (µ-ERD) was observed at the F4 electrode in the iTBS group. Functional connectivity (FC) analyses revealed decreased connectivity among several electrodes during the post-intervention period. The hemodynamic response function (HRF) indicated significant activation in the right PMC and SMA, with reduced FC among motor areas. No significant differences in MEP, CSP, and KVIQ-20 scores were found between groups.

conclusioniTBS targeting the RDLPFC may improve MI-BCI training performance and address the "BCI inefficiency" problem. RDLPFC stimulation induced changes in FC of brain regions associated with motor imagery and increased the activation of motor areas, suggesting that the RDLPFC could be a promising target for enhancing motor imagery and optimizing BCI systems.

Indexed as

Brain-Computer InterfacesDorsolateral Prefrontal CortexImaginationTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAdultElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansMaleNeuronal PlasticityPsychomotor PerformanceSpectroscopy, Near-InfraredYoung AdultBrain-computer interfaceElectroencephalographyFunctional near-infrared spectroscopyIntermittent theta-burst stimulationMotor imagery

Identifiers

PMID40745321
PMCPMC12312247

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.