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Connectivity Analysis during Rubber Hand Illusion—A Pilot TMS-EEG Study in a Patient with SCI

Neural Plasticity, 2021 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6695530 · Published: February 8, 2021

Spinal Cord InjuryNeurologyNeuroplasticity

Simple Explanation

This study explores how our sense of our own body can be altered using the 'rubber hand illusion' (RHI), especially in the context of spinal cord injury (SCI). The RHI involves creating a conflict between what we see (a rubber hand being touched) and what we feel (our own hand being touched). The researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to stimulate a specific brain area (S1) while participants experienced the RHI, recording brain activity with EEG. They looked at how different brain areas communicate during the illusion. The study found that brain connectivity patterns during the RHI were similar between healthy individuals and a patient with SCI, although the patient showed a higher degree of activity in one side of the brain. This suggests the brain may adapt after SCI to maintain normal communication patterns.

Study Duration
Not specified
Participants
18 healthy participants and one patient with incomplete, cervical SCI
Evidence Level
Pilot study, TMS-EEG

Key Findings

  • 1
    There is no difference in connectivity between sham and real TBS or in the effectiveness of RHI.
  • 2
    The patient exhibited higher laterality, with increased connectivity in the right hemisphere and decreased connectivity in the left hemisphere.
  • 3
    Overall connectivity patterns were similar between healthy participants and the SCI patient, suggesting a neuroplastic response to overcome functional impairment.

Research Summary

This pilot study investigated the impact of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on brain connectivity in healthy participants and a patient with spinal cord injury (SCI) using high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG). The study found no significant differences in connectivity between real and sham TBS or between participants who experienced the RHI and those who did not. However, the patient with SCI showed increased laterality in brain connectivity, with higher activity in the right hemisphere. The researchers suggest that the similar overall connectivity patterns between the patient and healthy participants indicate a neuroplastic response to overcome functional impairment. The cortico-cortical communication was not altered depending on whether the illusion was provoked or not.

Practical Implications

Rehabilitation Strategies

The findings suggest potential for using RHI in rehabilitation strategies for SCI patients to improve sensory perception and promote neuroplastic changes.

Personalized Therapy

Individual functional connectivity analysis may help uncover structural changes in SCI patients and adapt personalized rehabilitation therapy.

Biomarker Development

Functional connectivity patterns could serve as biomarkers in patients with SCI, allowing for a better understanding of maladaptive neuroplasticity and individual rehabilitation approaches.

Study Limitations

  • 1
    Small sample size, particularly for the SCI patient and those who did not experience the RHI.
  • 2
    The relationship between TBS and the effectiveness of the RHI can only be estimated according to behavioral data.
  • 3
    The study lacks a resting-state condition for comparison with the data recorded during the RHI.

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