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Chapter 16 - Noninvasive brain stimulation and brain oscillations
Recent technological advances in the field of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) have allowed to interact with endogenous brain oscillatory activity, the main neural communication code of our brain, opening new scenarios for transient modifications of cognitive and behavioral performances: such a possibility can be capitalized both for research purposes in subjects healthy, as well as in the context of therapeutic and rehabilitative settings. Among NiBS methodologies, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been the first used to this purpose, and also thanks to the technical development of TMS-EEG co-registering systems, the mechanistic knowledge regarding the role of brain oscillations has been improved. Another approach to brain oscillations considers electric stimulation methods, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and especially transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), for which -however- some technical and conceptual caveats have emerged. In this chapter, we briefly review the uses of NiBS in this field up to now, by providing an update on the current status of research applications as well as of its attempts of exploitation in translational clinical applications, especially regarding motor disorders and for understanding and reducing some psychiatric symptoms.