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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Electric Stimulation, Female, Humans, Male, Phosphenes, Photic Stimulation, Sensory Thresholds, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Visual Cortex, Young Adult.
user
Does transcranial alternating current stimulation ( tACS ) modulate cortical excitability as assessed by TMS-induced phosphene thresholds? Context: Recent developments in transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) provide a powerful approach to establish the functional roles of neuronal oscillatory activities in the human brain. Here, we investigated whether tACS can reach and modulate the excitability of the visual cortex in a frequency-dependent manner. We measured the cortical excitability of the visual cortex using single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while delivering tACS to the occipital region at different frequencies (5, 10, 20 and 40 Hz). We found that tACS at 20 Hz decreased TMS-phosphene threshold (i.e., increased the excitability of the visual cortex) during the stimulation, whereas other frequencies did not affect TMS-phosphene thresholds.
assistant
Our findings demonstrate direct interactions of tACS with the visual cortex in a frequency-dependent manner. Final Decision: yes