Spaced Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: Prospects for Inducing Long-Lasting XXXX Cortical Plasticity.

@entity75 @entity1 @entity16 @entity1545
UNASSIGNED: Neuroplasticity is critical for learning, memory, and recovery of lost function following @entity16 . @entity75 ( @entity75 ) techniques can induce neuroplastic changes in the @entity1 cortex that are behaviorally relevant, raising the exciting possibility that these techniques might be therapeutically beneficial for neurorehabilitation following @entity1545 . However, the short duration and instability of induced effects currently limits their usefulness. To date, trials investigating the therapeutic value of neuroplasticity-inducing @entity75 have used either single or multiple treatment sessions, typically repeated once-daily for 1 to 2 weeks. Although multiple stimulation sessions are presumed to have cumulative effects on neuroplasticity induction, there is little direct scientific evidence to support this "once-daily" approach. In animal models, the repeated application of stimulation protocols spaced using relatively short intervals (typically of the order of minutes) induces long-lasting and stable changes in synaptic efficacy. Likewise, learning through spaced repetition facilitates the establishment of long-term memory. In both cases, the spacing interval is critical in determining the outcome. Emerging evidence in healthy @entity1 populations suggests that the within-session spacing of @entity75 protocols may be an effective approach for significantly prolonging the duration of induced neuroplastic changes. Similar to findings in the animal and learning literature, the interval at which spaced @entity75 is applied seems to be a critical factor influencing the neuroplastic response. In this Point of View article, we propose that to truly exploit the therapeutic opportunities provided by @entity75 , future clinical trials should consider the optimal spacing interval for repeated applications.
