Projects

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly being applied to effectively treat mental illness, however efforts to quantify the effects of TMS on the network architecture of the brain have largely been limited in scope and tied to specific neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The objective of the current work is to build and validate a whole-brain, domain-general model of brain connectivity changes following TMS, based on physical models of the current distribution at the cortex.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This work is relevant to public health because it will provide direct evidence that brain connectivity changes following neuromodulatory TMS vary as a function of the current density at the cortex, which can be used to predict psychiatric symptom change following neuromodulatory TMS.

The right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is increasingly being targeted with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to reduce anxiety expression; however, there is little mechanistic evidence supporting an optimized treatment protocol. Thus, the objective of the current project is to develop an interleaved TMS/fMRI that can assess the effect of neuromodulatory (potentially therapeutic) TMS protocols on neural and behavioral measures related to anxiety expression.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: These results will yield direct evidence that 1 Hz and cTBS modulate brain activity associated with anxiety expression and regulation, thus informing novel TMS based anxiety treatments.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a growing treatment for psychiatric conditions; however, current treatment protocols do not account for known sex differences that affect TMS treatment outcomes. This project aims to study how hormonal fluctuations and sex differences influence cortical plasticity.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: If successful, this research will inform best practices for the personalization of TMS protocols based on sex and hormone status, leading to improved treatment outcomes. 

Aim 1: Active cTBS to IPS will disrupt arousal-dependent temporal memory, reflected in reduced relative order discrimination accuracy and expanded temporal distance estimates, relative to sham.

Aim 2: Active iTBS to IPS will enhance arousal-dependent temporal memory, reflected in improved relative order discrimination accuracy and compressed temporal distance estimates, relative to sham.

Aim 3: Baseline physiological arousal, trait anxiety (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), trauma symptoms (PCL-5), and individualized E-field strength will predict the magnitude of TBS-induced behavioral changes in temporal memory.