2.2. Experimental Design
This was a randomized, sham-controlled study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive sham (15 subjects) or real rTMS (15 subjects). These groups were not statistically different with respect to the age and gender of the volunteers: the real rTMS group included 11 females/4 males, age: 22.4 ± 1.3 years; the sham rTMS group included 10 females/5 males, age: 19.9 ± 2.5 years. Throughout the experiment, participants were comfortably seated in a reclining chair with their arms resting on armrests. The experimental scenarios were presented on a 27-inch LCD screen positioned at a distance of 2 m. Participants were instructed to remain relaxed with their eyes open throughout the entire experiment, except when performing specific experimental tasks. The experimental design is illustrated in Specific visual cues corresponding to each experimental task were presented on the monitor. Each task consisted of 20 trials, with each trial lasting 10 s (see The experimental session lasted for approximately 1.5 to 2 h. Throughout the session, the experimenter continuously monitored muscle activation during quasi-movement and motor imagery tasks using real-time EMG signal monitoring. EEG data were recorded for the entire duration of the experimental session. The participants’ heads remained still during the EEG recording and TMS session. The subjects sat in a special chair with a neck support pillow. This allowed them to relax their neck muscles and perform tasks without moving. However, there were “Rest” sessions that allowed participants to move their heads as well as their bodies.