Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 18

🧠 We are #hiring! Postdoc @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social: help us develop closed-loop EEG platforms to improve TMS treatment for depression! Coding and neuroscience / engineering backgrounds required. Join our team! precisionneuro.stanford.edu email: [email protected]

2 17 14

Reposted by Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

When we use TMS to treat depression, we think it alters neural activity in a deep brain structure known as the subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC). But this is hard to test directly, until our preprint with @coreykeller.bsky.social, @neuro-engineer.bsky.social, Nick Trapp, and Aaron Boes (UIowa) 1/

DLPFC Stimulation Suppresses High-Frequency Neural Activity in the Human sgACC

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is hypothesized to relieve symptoms of depression by inhibiting activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate corte...

www.biorxiv.org

1 8 21

Reposted by Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

🧠 NEW PAPER: How do we capture excitability noninvasively in mood and emotion networks in the human brain? Here, we used real-time optimization to improve these measures!
@sparmi.bsky.social @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social @clinicalneuroph.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2025.02.261 1/7

Redirecting

doi.org

2 7 13

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

And to the rest of the amazing team and resources! 7/7
@coreykeller.bsky.social
@juhagogulski.bsky.social
@jessicamross8.bsky.social
@stanfordpntlab.bsky.social
@stanfordmedicine.bsky.social
Manjima Sarkar, Jade Truong, Lily Forman!!

y.social

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Big shout out to my co-first author 👏
@chrisclineneuro.bsky.social

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Interested in learning more? Read the full paper in Clinical Neurophysiology! doi.org/10.1016/j.cl... 5/7

doi.org

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Key findings: Optimization reduced artifacts by 63% and increased early local TMS-evoked potentials (EL-TEPs), a measure of prefrontal excitability, by 75%! #EEG #TMS #TMSEEG 4/7

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

We introduce a novel method for optimizing TMS parameters in the dlPFC. Based on EEG responses, this closed-loop procedure optimizes TMS coil angle, location, and intensity in real time. 3/7

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Why is this important? The dlPFC is a depression treatment target, but we need clinic-ready ways to measure stimulation effects. TMS-EEG can help, but artifacts obscure responses. 2/7

1 1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

🧠 NEW PAPER: How do we capture excitability noninvasively in mood and emotion networks in the human brain? Here, we used real-time optimization to improve these measures!
@sparmi.bsky.social @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social @clinicalneuroph.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2025.02.261 1/7

Redirecting

doi.org

2 7 13

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

This builds on influential work by
@foxmdphd.bsky.social
@shansiddiqi.bsky.social
@desmondoathes.bsky.social and many others. It would not have been possible without the support of UIowa, Stanford, and generous funding from the NIH/NIMH.

reposted from @esolomon.bsky.social

Bluesky

es.bsky.social

3

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

It’s important to be clear that we only had two neurosurgical patients to test these effects, so these findings need replication. But these data so far seem to align with a major hypothesis in the field: DLPFC TMS specifically alters population-level neural activity in the sgACC. 5/

1 1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

We were surprised to find that, despite anticorrelated HFA signals, TMS seemed to increase phase-locking in lower frequencies (alpha and theta) between sgACC-DLPFC. Could this be a mechanism by which the DLPFC influences sgACC activity? 4/

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

HFA signal in the sgACC was inversely correlated with HFA signal in the DLPFC, meaning that as DLPFC activity increased following TMS, sgACC activity decreased. This mirrors what we’ve known from fMRI for a long time, but now shown with direct in-vivo measures of neural activity. 3/

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Stimulation to the DLPFC may tamp down an overactive sgACC and relieve symptoms of depression. By stimulating the DLPFC with TMS in two neurosurgical patients with electrodes implanted within the sgACC, we found a reduction in high-frequency neural activity – a correlate of population spiking. 2/

1

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 9

When we use TMS to treat depression, we think it alters neural activity in a deep brain structure known as the subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC). But this is hard to test directly, until our preprint with @coreykeller.bsky.social, @neuro-engineer.bsky.social, Nick Trapp, and Aaron Boes (UIowa) 1/

DLPFC Stimulation Suppresses High-Frequency Neural Activity in the Human sgACC

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is hypothesized to relieve symptoms of depression by inhibiting activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate corte...

www.biorxiv.org

1 8 21

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 7

🚨 New paper alert! Congratulations to the team on getting their paper accepted to @clinicalneuroph.bsky.social 🥳👏

@sparmi.bsky.social @chrisclineneuro.bsky.social @juhagogulski.bsky.social @jessicamross8.bsky.social @coreykeller.bsky.social

Read more below 👇 @stanfordbrain.bsky.social

Sara Parmigiani @sparmi.bsky.social · Apr 4

🧠 NEW PAPER: How do we capture excitability noninvasively in mood and emotion networks in the human brain? Here, we used real-time optimization to improve these measures!
@saraparmi @KellerStanfordU @ClinicalNeuroph doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2025.02.261 1/7

1 7

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Apr 4

Preprint alert! Check out our latest work in @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social, with @coreykeller.bsky.social @neuro-engineer.bsky.social @esolomon.bsky.social Nick Trapp Aaron Boes (UIowa) 👏

Ethan Solomon @esolomon.bsky.social · Apr 3

When we use TMS to treat depression, we think it alters neural activity in a deep brain structure known as the subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC). But this is hard to test directly, until our preprint with @coreykeller.bsky.social, @neuro-engineer.bsky.social, Nick Trapp, and Aaron Boes (UIowa) 1/

DLPFC Stimulation Suppresses High-Frequency Neural Activity in the Human sgACC

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is hypothesized to relieve symptoms of depression by inhibiting activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate corte...

www.biorxiv.org

2 8

Reposted by Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford

stanfordbrain.bsky.social @stanfordbrain.bsky.social · Mar 10

Congrats to our 2025 Neuroscience:Translate awardees! Their projects support brain imaging and stimulation technologies to improve depression treatment, broaden access to TMS therapy, and advance methods for imaging inflammation in the brain.

Learn more: neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/brain-i...

2 6

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 19

🚀 Exciting week at #BrainStimConf in Japan 🇯🇵!

@coreykeller.bsky.social @juhagogulski.bsky.social & @chrisclineneuro.bsky.social are presenting on #TMSEEG, plasticity & precision neuromodulation 🧠⚡

See the full lineup below! 📸✨ @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social #neuroscience

1 6

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 18

🧠 We are #hiring! Postdoc @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social: help us develop closed-loop EEG platforms to improve TMS treatment for depression! Coding and neuroscience / engineering backgrounds required. Join our team! precisionneuro.stanford.edu email: [email protected]

2 17 14

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 14

and @chrisclineneuro.bsky.social!

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 14

9/9 @juhagogulski.bsky.social @coreykeller.bsky.social @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social @jessicamross8.bsky.social @sparmi.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social @stanfordpress.bsky.social @nihr.bsky.social Truong J., Sarkar M.

1

Reposted by Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 14

1/10 🧠 We need better ways to measure brain excitability in psychiatric disorders. The prefrontal cortex—key target for brain stimulation treatments—is particularly hard to assess. Our new studies tackle this with systematic mapping! bit.ly/4cjHknX & bit.ly/3PW8RCx

Redirecting

bit.ly

1 8 16

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 14

9/9 @juhagogulski.bsky.social @coreykeller.bsky.social @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social @jessicamross8.bsky.social @sparmi.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social @stanfordpress.bsky.social @nihr.bsky.social Truong J., Sarkar M.

2

Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab @ Stanford @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social · Feb 14

8/9 🔑 Key takeaways:
• Careful target selection boosts early TMS-evoked signals in dlPFC
• Most dlPFC areas can produce reliable TMS-evoked signals with optimized analysis

This work advances early TMS-evoked EEG signal as a potential biomarker for depression! #depression

1 2