TMS-EEG: An emerging tool to study the neurophysiologic biomarkers of psychiatric disorders

Abstract

The etiology of psychiatric disorders remains largely unknown. The exploration of the neurobiological mechanisms of mental illness helps improve diagnostic efficacy and develop new therapies. This review focuses on the application of concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) in various mental diseases, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorder, and insomnia. Here we summarize commonly used protocols and output measures of TMS-EEG, and review the literature exploring the alterations of neural patters, particularly cortical excitability, plasticity, and connectivity alterations, and studies that predict treatment response and clinical state in mental disorders using TMS-EEG. Finally, we discuss the potential mechanisms underlying TMS-EEG in establishing biomarkers for psychiatric disorders and future research directions.