TMS is a non-invasive technique that employs a magnetic field to stimulate the cerebral cortex, generating induced currents that modify the action potentials of cortical neurons. This modulation affects both metabolism and neural electrical activity in the brain. The induced currents can either activate or inhibit neuronal activity in specific brain regions, thereby influencing overall brain function. Recent studies have demonstrated that the cerebellum plays a crucial role in various cognitive behaviors in humans [36]. TMS intervention has the potential to enhance cognitive function by targeting cerebellar neurons. Furthermore, the intensity of the induced currents varies with different stimulation frequencies, leading to differential effects on neuronal activity. In this study, we established four true stimulation groups targeting the cerebellum: 1 Hz, 5 Hz, 10 Hz, and 20 Hz, with a sham stimulation group serving as the control. ERP and brain network parameters were utilized as observational indicators to assess the effect of TMS cerebellar intervention on cognitive function across different frequencies.
ERP, which represent the cumulative postsynaptic potentials in neurons, indicate the level of excitation or inhibition of the neural response to external stimuli. In this study, after cerebellar TMS at varying frequencies, the ERP of subjects in the low-frequency stimulation group exhibited inhibition, whereas the ERP of subjects in the high-frequency stimulation group demonstrated enhancement. No significant changes in ERP were observed in the control group that received sham stimulation. These findings suggest that low-frequency TMS can lead to long-term inhibition of synaptic transmission, resulting in reduced neuronal activity, while high-frequency stimulation can induce long-term enhancement of synaptic transmission, thereby increasing cortical excitability. This alteration is reflected in the peak ERP potential. Furthermore, the results from the control group indicate that the psychological effects of repetitive tasks or TMS interventions on ERP enhancement are minimal.
The peak value of P100 is regarded as an indicator of early perceptual processing and exhibits sensitivity to variations in color, brightness, attention, and spatial frequency. Observations of P100 before and after TMS intervention revealed that 10 Hz stimulation produced the most significant enhancement in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. Additionally, 20 Hz stimulation in the parieto-occipital region was more effective than 5 Hz stimulation, suggesting that the excitability response of P100 related neurons in the cerebellum was most pronounced under 10 Hz stimulation. Furthermore, the strongest inhibition observed in the occipital lobe during low-frequency stimulation indirectly supports this conclusion. As the most stable visual evoked potential, P100 reflects responses to external visual stimuli. TMS intervention in the cerebellum induces changes in the amplitude of P100, indicating that the cerebellum plays a role in modulating visual responses in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. Notably, 10 Hz stimulation is particularly effective in regulating visual responses in the cerebellum, with a stronger regulatory effect on the frontal and parietal lobes compared to the occipital lobes. The excitability of neurons triggered by visual stimuli may facilitate the activation of neurons associated with perceptual processing in the frontal and parietal lobes, suggesting that cerebellar excitation enhances visual and perceptual processing functions.
The N200 peak is considered sensitive to tasks involving attention and working memory. Observations of the N200 after TMS intervention revealed that 10 Hz stimulation produced the most significant enhancement in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. However, the enhancement effect in the parietal lobe was comparable to that observed in the 20 Hz group. The top-down information flow in the parietal lobe during attention processing can enhance sensory control. Previous studies have indicated that the frontal and parietal lobes are involved in a similar "selection" mechanism that governs the representations "stored" in working memory. Visual-spatial templates and central executive systems play a role in related tasks [37], and the N200 may represent one of the resultant potentials associated with neuronal activity in these tasks. Additionally, the N200 response linked to the posterior frontal and parietal lobes of the cerebellum was enhanced by TMS, suggesting that the cerebellum is involved in or regulates tasks related to working memory. After high-frequency stimulation, the excitation of neurons in the corresponding brain regions can positively influence participants' engagement in attention and working memory tasks.
P300 is closely associated with cognitive and psychological processes, including recognition, difficulty, task engagement, attention, and memory of stimulus signals. It can objectively reflect advanced cognitive activities, such as the brain's cognitive and judgment functions. The intensity of its peak serves as an observational indicator of cognitive ability, and some researchers have utilized the peak of P300 as a basis for assessing patients with cognitive disorders [38]. In the experiment, after TMS intervention, the 5 Hz group exhibited the most significant enhancement of P300 in the frontal and occipital regions, while the 10 Hz group demonstrated the most notable enhancement of P300 in the parietal region. P300 is categorized into P300a and P300b, with peaks occurring in the frontal and parietal lobes, respectively. Notably, the P300b component is more closely linked to cognitive control, originating not only from the parietal lobe but also being regulated by temporal regions, such as the hippocampus [39]. A study that combined visual search and cognitive tasks revealed that P300 in the frontal lobe was associated with search tasks, while P300 in the parietal lobe was linked to cognitive tasks [40]. Additionally, P300 in the occipital lobe is primarily related to the induction of cognitively relevant visual stimuli. Research findings indicate that the cerebellum has a more effective regulatory role in the search and discovery functions of cognitively related visual stimuli during 5 Hz stimulation. Conversely, in the processing of specific cognitive tasks, 10 Hz stimulation appears to be more effective in regulating the corresponding functions of the cerebellum. The enhancement of cognitive function through TMS intervention in the cerebellum may require multi-frequency coordination to achieve optimal results.
The brain network refers to the collective functioning state of neurons across various regions of the brain.Recent whole-brain imaging studies utilizing fMRI data have revealed significant interdependence among brain regions, which collaborate to process information and generate responses [41, 42]. After TMS intervention in the cerebellum, the brain regions that collaborate with it during cognitive tasks are also synchronously affected within the brain network. This change is transmitted throughout the entire brain, reflecting an alteration in the global efficiency of the network. After TMS intervention in the cerebellum, the global efficiency of the brain network in the high-frequency stimulation group improved, indicating that the excitation of cerebellar neurons facilitated the activation of cognitive-related brain neurons, thereby enhancing the overall information processing efficiency of the brain. The most significant improvement was consistent with the ERP group in the 10 Hz stimulation group, while the 5 Hz group exhibited a stronger effect than the 20 Hz group. This suggests that excessively high-frequency stimulation may lead to over-excitation of neurons, potentially diminishing some aspects of improvement in efficiency. Reason: Improved clarity, vocabulary, and technical accuracy while correcting grammatical and punctuation errors.
The clustering coefficient of brain networks is utilized to measure the efficiency of information transmission among local brain regions and to characterize the clustering efficiency of information processing in these areas during various tasks. After TMS intervention in the cerebellum, the clustering coefficient of the brain network in the high-frequency stimulation group showed significant improvement, with the 5 Hz group exhibiting the most pronounced enhancement. This suggests that the neurons engaged in cognitive tasks within the brain may not remain consistent throughout the process. In certain clusters, 5 Hz stimulation appears to more effectively enhance the excitability of the associated neurons. The cerebellum's neural regulation of cognitive functions in the brain operates through a multi-frequency collaborative mechanism.