Experimental design of the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and
electroencephalography (EEG) session. The brain images (a) show the lateral
prefrontal cortex (lPFC) and control (primary somatosensory cortex, or S1)
regions targeted during the administration of continuous theta-burst stimulation
(cTBS). The target regions are overlaid on a representative subject’s
T1-weighted image in native space. Each subject received TMS at both sites
during the session. The timeline for each cTBS administration is shown in (b).
After cTBS was administered to either left lPFC or to left S1 for 20 s, subjects
completed the affective-coloring task. EEG recordings, which provided a
neurophysiological index of cortical excitability, were conducted twice for each
cTBS administration, before and after completion of the affective-coloring task.
The trial structure for the affective-coloring task is shown in the bracketed
area above the timeline. Subjects were informed that the task measured the
formation of first impressions in the presence of emotional distractors. After
the brief presentation of a happy or fearful face, subjects evaluated novel
individuals for their likeability.