Our Research
The Brain Stimulation Mechanisms Laboratory is currently focused on understanding how Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapeutically and durably changes the brain. Our primary approach is to measure changes in excitability, or plasticity, before and after rTMS protocols in combination with pharmacology designed to modulate key receptors. Our lab was the first to demonstrate that TMS effects could be enhanced through NMDA receptor-activating pharmacology. Collaborator Alex McGirr found that this same approach led to remarkable clinical improvements in depressed patients, and we are involved in further investigations to replicate and extend these findings.
We have found that factors such as repeated motor practice and caffeine use may influence TMS-induced plasticity. In addition to the glutamatergic system, we are currently studying the role of GABA receptors in both ‘excitatory’ and ‘inhibitory’ patterned and unpatterned rTMS protocols, including accelerated protocols. We are testing these mechanisms in healthy and depressed patients, in the motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Through collaborative efforts, our lab is incorporating functional imaging including fMRI and fNIRS, spectroscopy, and TMS-evoked potentials. We are also experimentally validating computational modeling methods to demystify the infinite TMS parameter space.