Traditionally the motor threshold has been defined as the stimulus intensity which generates a response above a pre-defined amplitude. Simply put, it involves increasing or decreasing the intensity until an average response of a particular pre-defined size is obtained on ~50% of stimuli. This is most often done at rest (resting motor threshold – RMT), but can also be done during weak muscle contraction (active motor threshold – AMT).
This configuration allows you to manually adjust the stimulus intensity of your TMS device, and will plot the amplitudes obtained.
This configuration is used to plot a range of stimulus intensities against the amplitude of the response to generate a stimulus response curve. Single TMS pulses are given at a set range of stimulus intensities, with the order of stimulus intensities randomised across trials.
SICI involves alternating between a single “test” pulse to generate the baseline or test response, and closely-spaced pairs of pulses where the first pulse is used to condition the response to the test pulse (hence “conditioning” pulse).
This can be achieved by two methods; either the interval between the pulse pair is altered randomly across trials (interval SICI) or the interval between the pulse pair is fixed and the intensity of the conditioning pulse is altered instead (SICI input-output curve).
This ICF configuration alternates between a single “test” pulse to generate the baseline or test response and closely-spaced pairs of pulses, where the first pulse is used to “condition” the response to the test pulse. The design of this experiment is similar to SICI, except the interval between pairs is longer (10-20 ms).
SICF configurations alternate between a single “test” pulse to generate the baseline or test response, and closely-spaced pairs of pulses where the second pulse is used to “condition” the response to the test pulse, which now comes first. The design of this experiment is similar to SICI, except for the greater time resolution of the interval between pairs (0.2 to 0.3 ms steps) and with the test pulse set to a higher intensity than the second.
LICI involves alternating between a single “test” pulse (to generate the baseline or test response) and pairs of pulses with a longer interval (up to 200 ms) between them, where the first pulse is used to “condition” the response to the test pulse. The design of this experiment is similar to SICI except that the interval between pairs is much longer (100-200 ms).
IHI protocols require alternating between a single “test” pulse to generate the baseline or test response delivered through one coil, and pairs of pulses, one pulse delivered through the test coil and the other through a secondary coil. This experiment requires two independently triggered stimulators, and two stimulation coils will be required.
This SAI protocol involves alternating between a single test TMS pulse to generate the baseline or test response, and pairs consisting of TMS and electrical stimuli delivered to a peripheral nerve, e.g. at the wrist. This experiment is designed with both a magnetic stimulator and electrical stimulator. The electrical stimulus is used to condition the response to the TMS pulse, and is often delivered via a Digitimer DS7A or a newer DS8R. Note, the electrical pulse sensory threshold will need to be independently determined prior to performing this experiment.
These configurations and associated instructions will aid you with setting up Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) sampling configurations within Signal. Each configuration is a framework for an experiment, which you can modify to your own requirements. The instructions cover the various options in Signal you need to consider, as well as providing an overview of how the experiment configurations are set up. If you are new to Signal, it is recommended you follow all sections in the instructions; if you are familiar with Signal, using the check list and experiment configurations will be of most benefit. ×
Download all of these configurations and the overview
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