Assessing Brain-Behaviour Coupling in Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Using Reliable Change Indices: Evidence from pre-Supplementary Motor Area – right Inferior Frontal Gyrus transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NiBS) studies frequently report exploratory correlations between individual-level changes in neurophysiological and behavioural measures. However, these analyses are typically underpowered and rely on ratio-based change scores with known statistical limitations. We addressed these limitations by pooling individual data from three independent studies (total N = 69), providing adequate power to detect small-to-medium effects. All studies applied 20 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) targeting the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA) and right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), regions central to inhibitory control. Changes in preSMA–rIFG connectivity measured with EEG imaginary coherence (ImCoh) and response inhibition (stop-signal reaction time, SSRT) were quantified using reliable change indices (RCI), which were z-standardised within studies to enable pooled mixed-effects regression. No meaningful association was found between tACS-induced ImCoh change and SSRT change (r = .013, marginal R² = .004), with project-wise correlations that were small, non-significant, and inconsistent in direction. Sensitivity analysis using ratio-based change scores converged on the same null result (r = .014), though ratio scores showed severe distributional violations relative to the approximately normal RCI distributions, supporting the methodological case for RCI on statistical grounds.

These results provide no support for a systematic individual-level brain–behaviour coupling between preSMA–rIFG connectivity and response inhibition following 20 Hz tACS, and suggest that any true effect is likely to be small. The present work offers a methodological benchmark for quantifying individual-level brain–behaviour coupling in NiBS research, and highlights the need for more sensitive neural markers and adequately powered design.