Occipital repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation does not affect multifocal visual evoked potentials

Background To identify mechanisms of cortical plasticity of the visual cortex and to quantify their significance, sensitive parameters are warranted. In this context, multifocal visual evoked potentials (mfVEPs) can make a valuable contribution as they are not associated with cancellation artifacts and include also the peripheral visual field. Objective To investigate if occipital repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can induce mfVEP changes. Methods 18 healthy participants were included in a single-blind crossover-study receiving sessions of excitatory, occipital 10 Hz rTMS and sham stimulation. MfVEP was performed before and after each rTMS session and changes in amplitude and latency between both sessions were compared using generalized estimation equation models. Results There was no significant difference in amplitude or latency between verum and sham group. Conclusion We conclude that occipital 10 Hz rTMS has no effect on mfVEP measures, which is in line with previous studies using full field VEP.