Neural correlates of approach–avoidance behavior in healthy subjects: Effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is implicated in top-down regulation of emotion, but the detailed network mechanisms require further elucidation. To investigate network-level functions of the dlPFC in emotion regulation, this study measured changes in task-based activation, resting-state and task-based functional connectivity (FC) patterns following suppression of dlPFC excitability by 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). In a sham-controlled within-subject design, 1-Hz active or sham rTMS was applied to the right dlPFC of 19 healthy volunteers during two separate counterbalanced sessions. Following active and sham rTMS, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted in the resting state (rs-fMRI) and during approach–avoidance task responses to pictures with positive and negative emotional content (task-based fMRI). Activation and generalized psychophysiological interaction analyses were performed on task-based fMRI, and seed-based FC analysis was applied to rs-fMRI data. Task-based fMRI revealed greater and more lateralized activation in the right hemisphere during negative picture responses compared to positive picture responses. After active rTMS, greater activation was observed in the left middle prefrontal cortex compared to sham rTMS. Further, rTMS reduced response times and error rates in approach to positive pictures compared to negative pictures. Significant FC changes due to rTMS were observed predominantly in the frontoparietal network (FPN) and visual network (VN) during the task, and in the default mode network (DMN) and VN at rest. Suppression of right dlPFC activity by 1-Hz rTMS alters large-scale neural networks and modulates emotion, supporting potential applications for the treatment of mood disorders. •Investigated the effect of 1-Hz rTMS on the right dlPFC for emotion regulation using a sham-controlled within-subject design.•rTMS reduces response times and error rates for positive vs. negative pictures in approach-avoidance tasks.•Active rTMS increased lateralized activation in the left middle prefrontal cortex compared to sham rTMS.•Observed connectivity changes in brain networks (FPN, VN, DMN) due to rTMS during tasks (FP, VN) and resting state (DMN, VN).