WELCOME

The Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation (LCNS) is a team of scientists and clinicians within the Neurology Department at the University of Pennsylvania committed to advancing groundbreaking basic, translational, and clinical research involving neuromodulation. The central objectives of the LCNS are to employ noninvasive neuromodulation techniques in order to:

  1.  Further elucidate the neural basis of cognition
  2.  Develop and implement novel stimulation-based therapies for neurologic disorders, particularly those that affect cognition and sensorimotor function throughout the lifespan
  3.  Reveal critical and modifiable behaviorally-relevant circuit and network properties of the human brain

In order to accomplish these objectives, LCNS investigators combine noninvasive brain stimulation with complimentary approaches, including but not limited to behavioral measures, patient lesion studies, structural and functional neuroimaging, and measures of cortical physiology such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The LCNS actively aims to cultivate partnerships both in the University of Pennsylvania community and beyond, and seeks to share its intellectual expertise, research infrastructure, and brain stimulation resources in order to promote far-reaching multidisciplinary research. In pursuing our objectives, the LCNS aspires to make high-impact discoveries that advance the well-informed use of noninvasive neuromodulation in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, neurology, neurorehabilitation, and beyond.

 

 

News

  • Dr. Roy Hamilton Receives the Arthur K. Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

    Tuesday, October 6, 2026

    The Arther K. Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award which recognizes faculty who have fostered the professional development of other faculty by providing inspiring and effective counsel in a manner that enables professional growth and development. 

    Dr. Roy Hamilton is an extraor...

  • Dissertation Defense of Shreya Parchure

    Bioengineering PhD Dissertation Defense of Shreya Parchure

    Title: Understanding and Improving Language Performance in Post-Stroke Aphasia with Machine Learning, Brain Networks, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

    Mentor: Dr. Roy H. Hamilton

    Date: April 13, 12:30pm-2:30pm

    Locatio...

  • Leveraging AI to help stroke survivors recover speech abilities

    Friday, February 13, 2026

    Stroke survivors with aphasia often face long, highly variable paths to regaining speech and language abilities. In a recent study, Shreya Parchure, a researcher in the LCNS Lab (Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation), explored how explainable artificial intelligence (AI...

Click here to see more.

Upcoming

  • flyer for the ARCH Aphasia Fair 2026

    LCNS at the ARCH Aphasia Fair

    Saturday, October 17, 2026

    10:00am - 3:00pm

    The LCNS team will be at this year's ARCH Aphasia Fair, held on October 17th at Temple University! People with aphasia, care partners, families, clinicians, researchers, and students are all welcome to attend. Come by to our table to learn more about our research and meet our team...

  • Brain Stimulation CME Course 2026

    Thursday, October 29, 2026 - Friday, October 30, 2026

    The Brain Stimulation CME Course brings together experts from neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, and neuropsychology to provide a comprehensive overview of both invasive and noninvasive neuromodulation approaches, including DBS, VNS, RNS, TMS, tDCS, LIFU, and ECT. In addition to...

  • Penn brainSTIM Intensive 3-Day TMS Workshop

    Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - Thursday, September 17, 2026

    The Penn brainSTIM center is holding its fourth annual Intensive 3-Day TMS Workshop from Tuesday, September 15th to Thursday, September 17th, 2026. The workshop will cover hands-on and didactic lectures around the following topics:

    • Principles and mechanisms of TMS
    • Safety
    • Clinical...

Click here to see all upcoming events.