The frequency-following response (FFR) is an auditory evoked potential (AEP) that follows the periodic characteristics of a sound. Despite being a widely studied biosignal in auditory neuroscience, the neural underpinnings of the FFR are still unclear. Traditionally, FFR was associated with subcortical activity, but recent evidence suggested cortical contributions which may be dependent on the stimulus frequency. We combined electroencephalography (EEG) with an inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol, the continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), to disentangle the cortical contribution to the FFR elicited to stimuli of high and low frequency. We recorded FFR to the syllable /ba/ at two fundamental frequencies (Low: 113 Hz; High: 317 Hz) in healthy participants. FFR, cortical potentials, and auditory brainstem response (ABR) were recorded before and after real and sham cTBS in the right primary auditory cortex. Results showed that cTBS did not produce a significant change in the FFR recorded, in any of the frequencies. No effect was observed in the ABR and cortical potentials, despite the latter known contributions from the auditory cortex. Possible reasons behind the negative results include compensatory mechanisms from the non-targeted areas, intraindividual variability of the cTBS effectiveness, and the particular location of our target area, the primary auditory cortex.

中文翻译：

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cTBS 对频率跟随反应和其他听觉诱发电位的影响

频率跟随响应 (FFR) 是一种听觉诱发电位 (AEP)，它遵循声音的周期性特征。尽管是听觉神经科学中广泛研究的生物信号，但 FFR 的神经基础仍不清楚。传统上，FFR 与皮层下活动有关，但最近的证据表明皮层贡献可能取决于刺激频率。我们将脑电图 (EEG) 与抑制性经颅磁刺激方案、连续θ脉冲刺激 (cTBS) 相结合，以解开对高频和低频刺激引起的 FFR 的皮质贡献。我们在健康参与者中以两个基本频率（低：113 Hz；高：317 Hz）记录音节 /ba/ 的 FFR。FFR，皮层电位，和听觉脑干反应 (ABR) 在右侧初级听觉皮层中真实和假 cTBS 之前和之后被记录。结果表明，cTBS 在任何频率下都没有对记录的 FFR 产生显着变化。在 ABR 和皮质电位中没有观察到影响，尽管后者已知来自听觉皮层的贡献。负面结果背后的可能原因包括来自非目标区域的补偿机制、cTBS 有效性的个体差异以及我们目标区域的特定位置，即初级听觉皮层。尽管后者已知来自听觉皮层的贡献。负面结果背后的可能原因包括来自非目标区域的补偿机制、cTBS 有效性的个体差异以及我们目标区域的特定位置，即初级听觉皮层。尽管后者已知来自听觉皮层的贡献。负面结果背后的可能原因包括来自非目标区域的补偿机制、cTBS 有效性的个体差异以及我们目标区域的特定位置，即初级听觉皮层。