Accurate and rapid estimation of phosphene thresholds (REPT)

Abrahamyan, A., Clifford, C. W.G., Ruzzoli, M. , Phillips, D., Arabzadeh, E. and Harris, J. A. (2011) Accurate and rapid estimation of phosphene thresholds (REPT). PLoS ONE, 6(7), e22342. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022342) (PMID:21799833) (PMCID:PMC3142147)

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Abstract

To calibrate the intensity of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the occipital pole, the phosphene threshold is used as a measure of cortical excitability. The phosphene threshold (PT) refers to the intensity of magnetic stimulation that induces illusory flashes of light (phosphenes) on a proportion of trials. The existing PT estimation procedures lack the accuracy and mathematical rigour of modern threshold estimation methods. We present an improved and automatic procedure for estimating the PT which is based on the well-established Ψ Bayesian adaptive staircase approach. To validate the new procedure, we compared it with another commonly used procedure for estimating the PT. We found that our procedure is more accurate, reliable, and rapid when compared with an existing PT measurement procedure. The new procedure is implemented in Matlab and works automatically with the Magstim Rapid2 stimulator using a convenient graphical user interface. The Matlab program is freely available for download.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Ruzzoli, Dr Manuela
Authors: Abrahamyan, A., Clifford, C. W.G., Ruzzoli, M., Phillips, D., Arabzadeh, E., and Harris, J. A.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
Journal Name:PLoS ONE
Publisher:Public Library of Science
ISSN:1932-6203
ISSN (Online):1932-6203
Published Online:22 July 2011
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2011 Abrahamyan et al.
First Published:First published in PLoS ONE 6(7):e22342
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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