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The role of low-frequency rTMS in the superior parietal cortex during time estimation

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Abstract

The low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) application has been associated with changes in cognitive processes embedded during time perception tasks. Although several studies have investigated the influence of neuromodulation on time perception, the effect of the 1-Hz rTMS application on the superior parietal cortex is not clearly understood. This study analyzes the effect of the low-frequency rTMS on time estimation when applied in the parietal medial longitudinal fissure. For the proposed study, 20 subjects were randomly selected for a crossover study with two conditions (sham and 1 Hz). Our findings reveal that participant underestimate 1-s time interval and overestimate 4-s and 9-s time intervals after 1-Hz rTMS (p ≤ 0.05). We conclude that the 1-Hz rTMS in the parietal medial longitudinal fissure delays short interval and speed up long time intervals. This could be due to the effect of parietal inhibition on the attentional level and working memory functions during time estimation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for supporting this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Fernanda Manaia, Bruna Velasques & Pedro Ribeiro

  2. Neuro-innovation Technology & Brain Mapping Laboratory, Federal University of Piauí, Av. São Sebastião n°2819 – Nossa Sra. de Fátima, Parnaíba, 64202-020, Brazil

    Kaline Rocha, Victor Marinho, Francisco Magalhães, Thomaz Oliveira, Valécia Carvalho, Thalys Araújo, Carla Ayres & Silmar Teixeira

  3. The Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil

    Kaline Rocha, Victor Marinho, Francisco Magalhães, Thomaz Oliveira, Valécia Carvalho & Silmar Teixeira

  4. Department of Biology, Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ, USA

    Daya Gupta

  5. Biomedical Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Mauricio Cagy

  6. Brain Mapping and Functionality Laboratory, Federal University of Piauí, Parnaíba, Brazil

    Victor Hugo Bastos

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  1. Fernanda Manaia
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Correspondence to Kaline Rocha.

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The ethics committee of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro approved the protocol for the study (no. 520.189).

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Manaia, F., Rocha, K., Marinho, V. et al. The role of low-frequency rTMS in the superior parietal cortex during time estimation. Neurol Sci 40, 1183–1189 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-019-03820-8

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