Research Techniques
We use lots of different methods in our research, including different types of brain imaging and non-invasive brain stimulation. You can read about them here.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
TMS is a type of painless non-invasive brain stimulation. It involves putting a small coil onto the top of the head and delivering magnetic pulses. When the coil is placed over the area of the brain which controls movement (motor area) it is possible to create small muscle twitches which can be measured. The size of these muscle twitches can be used to understand how excitable the brain is during different tasks. We often use TMS in our research to understand how the motor areas of people with and without Tourettes work.
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The videos explain a little bit more about TMS.
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Electroencephalography (EEG)
The video below explains more about EEG and one of our past research projects.
Wearable Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
Similar to EEG, the new wearable magnetoencephalographic (MEG) scanner uses a cap onto which sensors can be attached, meaning the sensors will stay in the same place relative to the head during tics. However, unlike EEG which records electrical signals generated by brain activity, this scanner records magnetic fields generated by the same activity. In contrast to conventional scanners the quality of the data collected is not affected by head movement.
The video explains a bit more about the new wearable MEG.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
We use different types of MRI scan to look at brain structure and function. This can help us understand more about tics and where they come from.
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For example, we can use special scans to look at the structure of the brain. Our research projects using this approach have allowed us to find differences between the brains of people with and without tics.
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We can also use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at what the brain is doing at rest and during different tasks. fMRI lets us look at changes in blood flow in the brain, which tells us about which parts of the brain are most active. This is a really useful way for use to look at what the brain does during simple tasks such as learning sequences of movement.
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Another sort of MRI scan that we use in our research is called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). These types of scans can be used to help us understand neurochemistry.
Median Nerve Stimulation (MNS)
Median nerve stimulation is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that targets a peripheral nerve. Peripheral nerves are able to send signals to the brain, so by stimulating them it is possible to safely and indirectly influence brain activity. Some of our new research into tic reduction uses MNS.
