Intermittent theta burst stimulation enhances prefrontal activation and connectivity: evidence from fNIRS

Compared with the pre-stimulation period, the activation intensity in the prefrontal cortex was significantly higher from 10 to 70 min after iTBS stimulation. Specifically, seven channels showed statistically significant differences, with peak effects occurring 10 min after intervention and gradually attenuating over time. Additionally, compared with T0, the functional connectivity (FC) strength of the prefrontal network was markedly enhanced 10 min after intervention, accompanied by a notable increase in the number of connections between channels. However, the FC strength gradually weakened over time, and no statistically significant differences in FC strength were observed at 55 and 70 min post-intervention. Taken together, We conclude that the neural modulation effects of a single iTBS session persist for ~40 min. These results elucidate the regulatory effects of iTBS intervention on brain functional activity from the perspective of brain functional connectivity, providing reference and evidence for the clinical application of iTBS.