Enhancing Visual P300 Amplitudes Using Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation

This reseach investigated the effects of different repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modes on the modulation of the visual P300 component in electroencephalogram (EEG), a critical biomaker of cognitive processes in the brain. Five rTMS modes, including 1Hz rTMS, 10Hz rTMS, continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), intermittent TBS (iTBS), and sham stimulation, were applied to 12 healthy participants using a visual oddball paradigm. EEG signals were collected and analyzed to measure P300 amplitudes under four visual stimulus configurations. The results showed that cTBS significantly enhanced P300 amplitudes across all visual configurations, while 1Hz rTMS and iTBS had selective modulatory effects depending on specific stimulus conditions. In contrast, 10Hz rTMS had no significant effect on P300 amplitudes. These findings suggest that cTBS may be particularly effective in enhancing P300-related cognitive processing and hold promise in improving the performance of P300-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).