Working Group 2 - Research and networking in neuromodulation

Initiated by Lorena Chanes & Jerome Brunelin

Leaders: to be determined

Aim: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NiBS) techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial electric stimulation, including direct current and alternating current stimulation (tDCS, tACS), allow to modulate neuronal excitability, oscillatory activity, and to boost cortical functions, hereby possibly offering a therapeutic potential to cure or slow down the progression of several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, several subject-specific factors, for example, anatomical and physiological differences, age, gender, brain state before and during stimulation, and also methodological factors, such as the type of task applied in combination with the stimulation, can confound the effects of stimulation. It is also not clear, which are the best biomarkers (or combination of biomarkers) to target the efficacy of a given stimulation. Researchers (e.g. in applied mathematics and computational neuroscience), who develop brain stimulation models, are rarely in close contact with clinical centers implanting and programming NS devices in patients. The former design models are motivated by pre-clinical experimental results, but rarely target the needs or take into account the constraints of real-world clinical applications. This disconnect is likely a major contributor to the limited translation of modeling and pre-clinical results to therapeutic benefit in patients. By sharing problems, insights, and experiences across these disciplines and researchers, we hope to foster future collaborations and participation in internationally funded projects.