Biomarkers of non-invasive visual brain stimulation

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Sometimes in order to understand how a complex system works, it needs to be taken apart to see how its components work together. The same reverse engineering approach can be used to understand the brain and its components. One technique that allows a researcher to do this is with non-invasive brain stimulation. Non-invasive brain stimulation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a relatively new therapeutic tool for treatment of clinical depression. It is also a new experimental approach in cognitive neuroscience to understand brain networks and function. In both cases, the mechanisms of how brain stimulation works are not known. The goal of this research is to understand what is going on in the brain during non-invasive brain stimulation. Through a series of experiments, we will ask how is the brain affected at the site of brain stimulation and how are the networks to which the stimulation site is connected affected? The approach will use brain imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) to measure local and global effects of brain stimulation on brain functioning at different sites across the brain. This research program will lay the groundwork for better understanding TMS stimulation effects on the brain and findings from this work will inform and guide policy for non-invasive neuromodulation use in laboratory and clinical settings.