2020 Conference

2020 Conference

Established in 2016, the Brainbox Initiative works closely with world-leading academics to help support, develop, and promote the work of early-career neuroscientists.

As the flagship event of the year, the Brainbox Initiative Conference brings together some of the most exciting research being carried out with tES, TMS, neuroimaging, and TUS techniques by early and mid-career researchers and field-leading keynote speakers.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Brainbox Initiative Conference 2020 took place online from September 22 - 25, 2020. The programme featured keynote talks from:

  • Professor Colleen Hanlon (Wake Forest University)
  • Professor Dr Agnes Flöel (University Medicine Greifswald)
  • Dr Jamie Tyler (Arizona State University)
  • Professor John Rothwell (University College London)

Our full list of 2020 speakers is available below, as well as a full archive of all posters presented by our attendees.

Our speakers

Prof Dr Agnes Flöel

Prof Dr Agnes Flöel

University Medicine Greifswald

Modulation of memory consolidation via oscillatory brain stimulation during sleep

Dr Colleen Hanlon

Dr Colleen Hanlon

Wake Forest University

Oops.. I did it again: Using TMS as a tool to prevent Relapse to Alcohol Drinking

Dr William 'Jamie' Tyler

Dr William 'Jamie' Tyler

Arizona State University

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation

Dr Alberto Lazari

Dr Alberto Lazari

University of Oxford

Modulating long-range connectivity through cortico-cortical paired associative TMS

Dr Bettina Schwab

Dr Bettina Schwab

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Modulation of functional connectivity by dual-site tACS

Dr Carys Evans

Dr Carys Evans

University College London

Using current flow modelling to dose-control tES

Dr Cristina Pasquinelli

Dr Cristina Pasquinelli

DRCMR

Transducer and skull modelling in acoustic simulations for transcranial ultrasound stimulation

Dr Davide Folloni

Dr Davide Folloni

University of Oxford

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation

Dr Eleanor Cole

Dr Eleanor Cole

Stanford University

Optimizing TMS for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Dr Justin Riddle

Dr Justin Riddle

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Causal role of phase amplitude coupling in components of cognitive control using cross-frequency tACS

Dr Lucia Li

Dr Lucia Li

Imperial College London

Interacting influences: investigating how brain state, polarity and white matter structure shapes brain network effects of tDCS

Dr Tulika Nandi

Dr Tulika Nandi

University of Oxford

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation

Dr Ronan Mooney

Dr Ronan Mooney

Johns Hopkins University

Neurophysiological correlates of motor skill stability

Dr Sangjin Yoo

Dr Sangjin Yoo

California Institute of Technology

Biomolecular mechanisms of ultrasonic neuromodulation

Dr Sara Tremblay

Dr Sara Tremblay

Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research in Canada

Molecular brain imaging to study the neural mechanisms of theta burst stimulation

Dr Helen Barron

Dr Helen Barron

University of Oxford

Neuronal computation underlying inferential reasoning in humans and mice

Dr Ines Violante

Dr Ines Violante

University of Surrey

Psychological Neuroscience

Dr Jan Kubanek

Dr Jan Kubanek

University of Utah

Deep brain ultrasonic modulation in behaving primates

Dr Ronak Patel

Dr Ronak Patel

Imperial College London

The Impact of Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation on Surgical Performance

Dr Vera Mateus

Dr Vera Mateus

Mackenzie Presbyterian University

Neural processing of observed and executed motor actions in 6-month-old infants: An fNIRS study

Prof Dr Agnes Flöel

Prof Dr Agnes Flöel

University Medicine Greifswald

Prof. Flöel is the Director of the Department of Neurology at the University Medicine Greifswald, and Head of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology at the University Medicine of Greifswald. The Department of Neurology treats around 8000 patients yearly, including 1000 patients with neurodegenerative diseases, on in- and out-patient based platforms.

Prof Flöel has conducted studies on healthy individuals and patients with neurodegenerative diseases (subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s dementia) since 1999, ranging from epidemiological and cross-sectional cohorts to proof-of-concept studies and Phase III randomized controlled clinical trials. These studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying healthy and pathological aging, employing a large range of neuroscientific tools (neuropsychology, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography; demographic data including information on nutrition, physical activity and cognitive activity). Interventions encompass pharmacological and nutritional approaches, as well as noninvasive brain stimulation (transcranial magnetic stimulation, electrical brain stimulation).

Dr Colleen Hanlon

Dr Colleen Hanlon

Wake Forest University

Dr. Colleen A. Hanlon is a professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest University Health Sciences, wherein she leads a new Electromagnetic Therapeutics Research Program. The majority of her research is focused on developing evidence-based TMS protocols which may be useful therapeutic tools for patients struggling with addiction. She leads 3 NIH-suported R01 awards and is part of two NIH centers interested in translating preclinical brain stimulation knowledge into a treatment that can be delivered to patients with alcohol and substance use disorders.   She was honored with the Early Career Investigator award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.  Colleen Hanlon is the senior author on the first “Consensus Paper” published by a group of over 70 scientists from over 10 countries outlining the path forward for Non-Invasive Therapeutic Development for Addiction.

She loves science and being a scientist (!!) – the process and the privilege.  Perhaps more than the actual data analysis and writing however, she is finds a unique joy in mentoring and nurturing the creative ideas among her students and her colleagues.  She participates in the research training and education community at both a local level (serving as a mentor to over 50 medical, graduate, post-graduate, and fellowship trainees since 2005 on a national and international scale) and national level. She has directed the Advanced TMS Training Course sponsored by the National Center for Neuromodulation for Rehabilitation, and continues to be involved in their research dissemination efforts through teaching and management of their social media presence.  She has led an annual addiction outreach event at the College of Problems on Drug Dependence (CPDD) meeting (2015-2019), served on the Liaison Committee (2016-2019) and the Education and Training Committee (2019-present)  for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Grassroots Advocacy Team for the Society for Neuroscience (2017-2019), Chair of the Education Outreach and Public Policy Committee for CPDD (2017-2019), ad hoc participation in over 20 NIH study sections, and serving as a permanent member of NIH NPAS study section (effective 10/2018).    

Dr William 'Jamie' Tyler

Dr William 'Jamie' Tyler

Arizona State University

William (Jamie) Tyler is an associate professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. His group's primary research and development interests focus on developing and applying noninvasive neuromodulation methods and devices intended to optimize human performance and brain health. His team is particularly interested in developing electrical, ultrasonic, and alternative technologies or interfaces that are capable of precisely regulating the human autonomic nervous system, as well as deep-brain circuits to regulate arousal, attention, learning, and sleep/wake cycles. In addition to developing methods and tools for enhancing human performance, the Tyler lab also works on developing technologies that can be useful to treat some neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. The collective goal is to enhance human brain health and performance through the development of robust, scientifically-validated, and safe neurotechnologies.

Dr Jamie Tyler joined us as our TUS keynote speaker at the Brainbox Initiative Conference 2020.

Dr Alberto Lazari

Dr Alberto Lazari

University of Oxford

Alberto Lazari is a postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Oxford, where he completed his PhD in Neuroscience. Alberto’s research focusses on the mechanisms of physiology and plasticity in myelinated long-range projections between brain areas. To study this, he uses functional and structural neuroimaging in combination with dual-site TMS to assess and modulate connectivity between areas in the motor network.

Dr Bettina Schwab

Dr Bettina Schwab

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Bettina Schwab is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin, Germany. With a background in physics and computational neuroscience, she combines experiment and modeling, aiming at a mechanistic understanding of human neurophysiology. Specifically, her interest is brain stimulation to modulate neural activity and functional connectivity between distant brain areas. In particular, Bettina investigates how stimulation may be used to gain insights into the network pathophysiology of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. She is also deeply interested in the physiology of the motor system and basal ganglia in general, including electrophysiology and neural network dynamics.

 

Dr Carys Evans

Dr Carys Evans

University College London

My main research aim is to explore interventions in pathology and healthy ageing. During my PhD and postdoctoral research, I have focused on upper limb impairments following stroke and whether motor skill learning can be enhanced with brain stimulation. Currently, I am investigating how cortical excitability changes after stroke and whether brain stimulation can reliably enhance brain plasticity when dose-controlled. My postdoctoral research has also explored how effects of brain stimulation on mood and emotion processing might differ depending on individual differences.

Dr Cristina Pasquinelli

Dr Cristina Pasquinelli

DRCMR

Dr Cristina Pasquinelli completed her PhD in the Department of Health Technology at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 2019 under the supervision of Associate Professor Axel Thielscher. During her PhD she spent one year in the Brain/Bio Medical Microsystems Lab headed by Hyunjoo Jenny Lee at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). She was also affiliated at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), where she now works as a postdoctoral researcher in Thielscher’s Neurophysics group. Her main research topic is transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), specifically its dose estimation through acoustic simulations and its safety profile. In her work in collaboration with IT’IS Foundation in Zurich, Cristina investigated how the modeling of the transducers’ internal geometry and the skull affect the simulated intensity distribution and its comparison with the measured distribution. She is currently working on extending TUS research at DRCMR to animals (rats) experiments.

Dr Davide Folloni

Dr Davide Folloni

University of Oxford

Dr. Davide Folloni is interested in understanding the architecture and functional dynamics of the neural circuits supporting learning and decision making. Its research uses a multi-modal approach to describe the anatomy, organization and neural activity of higher-order brain networks. Specifically, he uses transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation in combination with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to manipulate the activity of subcortical and cortical brain structures and causally infer their role in normal and abnormal cognitive computations underlying decision-making. His goal is to exploit the non-invasive and reversible properties of ultrasound to bridge the gap between animal and human research and help developing novel brain stimulation interventions for psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Dr Davide Folloni will be speaking at the Brainbox Initiative Conference 2020 about his groundbreaking research for which he was awarded the 2020 Young Investigator Award.

Dr Eleanor Cole

Dr Eleanor Cole

Stanford University

Dr Eleanor Cole is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University and Director of the rTMS lab at the Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute. Dr Cole completed her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging at The University of York in the UK where her PhD research included transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) projects in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr Cole’s current research is focused on developing and optimizing novel TMS protocols to treat psychiatric conditions including depression and examine the neural basis of response. Alongside her research at Stanford, Dr Cole is an active member of the TMS in Autism Consensus Group and her next postdoctoral position involves developing TMS protocols aimed at alleviating difficulties experienced by individuals with ASD.

Dr Justin Riddle

Dr Justin Riddle

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Justin Riddle is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Scientific Director of the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation. Justin is using simultaneous neuroimaging and brain stimulation to study the neural basis of cognitive control. Cognitive control is impaired in patients with psychiatric illness. A better understanding of the brain activity patterns that implement cognitive control will enable novel therapeutic interventions for psychiatry. In Flavio Frohlich’s lab, Justin is using novel transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) techniques such as cross-frequency tACS to delineate the role of phase-amplitude coupling in dimensions of cognitive control. Justin is currently working on projects using concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) with rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to target neural oscillations during retro-cue working memory. Justin also uses electrocorticography (ECoG) and rhythmic direct cortical stimulation in collaboration with Haewon Shin at the Department of Neurology. In the long term, Justin is passionate about realizing a future for psychiatry in which non-invasive brain stimulation is integrated with present interventions of psychotherapy and pharmacology.

Dr Lucia Li

Dr Lucia Li

Imperial College London

Dr Lucia Li is based at Imperial College, London. In September 2017, Dr Lucia Li submitted a poster at the BrainBox Initiative conference for which she was awarded the BrainBox Initiative poster prize.

During her medical training at Cambridge, Dr Lucia Li became very interested in the scientific and clinical aspects of traumatic brain injury. In particular, Dr Li wanted to explore ways to improve functional outcomes after this common and devastating condition. She has recently completed a body of work as part of her PhD at Imperial College London, exploring the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury.

Dr Tulika Nandi

Dr Tulika Nandi

University of Oxford

Dr. Tulika Nandi obtained her undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy from Manipal University, India. Tulika subsequently obtained a Masters in Biokinesiology from the University of Southern California (USC), USA. She conducted her Ph.D. research on neural control of standing balance, partly at USC and partly at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Tulika's research aims to understand the neurophysiological and behavioural effects of non-invasive brain stimulation, and to use brain stimulation as a tool to answer questions about motor control. She is currently part of a team working to develop non-invasive ultrasound stimulation for deep brain structures. She is also working on other projects that complement brain stimulation with imaging to allow more comprehensive study of the motor system.

Dr Ronan Mooney

Dr Ronan Mooney

Johns Hopkins University

Ronan received his Ph.D in Exercise Science with a specialization in Movement Neuroscience under the supervision of Prof Winston Byblow from the University of Auckland (Auckland, New Zealand) in 2019. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Pablo Celnik in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, Maryland, USA). In his research Ronan uses various non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to further understand the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor skill learning and motor recovery after neurological injury.

Dr Sangjin Yoo

Dr Sangjin Yoo

California Institute of Technology

Dr Sangjin Yoo completed his PhD in bio and brain engineering at KAIST in the South Korea, and this PhD research included development of photothermal stimulation technique for reversibly suppress the neural activity. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Prof. Mikhail G. Shapiro in Division of Chemistry and Chemical engineering at Caltech. His current research is focused on investing the mechanisms of ultrasonic neuromodulation and developing sonogenetics for non-invasive and safe control of neural activity. Alongside his research at Caltech, Dr Yoo is a selected investigator in NARSAD program aimed at providing key guidelines for human applications.

Dr Sara Tremblay

Dr Sara Tremblay

Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research in Canada

Sara Tremblay is a scientist at the Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research in Canada and an assistant professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. She obtained her Ph.D. in Neuropsychology in 2015 at Université de Montréal, where her research explored for biomarkers of sport concussions using neuromodulation and neuroimaging. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at University College London (UK) under the mentorship of Prof. John Rothwell and at the Center for Mental Health and Addiction (Canada), under the mentorship of Dr. Jeff Daskalakis. She is currently developing a translational neuromodulation research program that involves research development of methods and clinical applications for therapeutic interventions. Specifically, she uses multimodal measures, such as combined transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) and positron emission tomography (PET), to further our understanding of the neural mechanisms of action of neuromodulation. She is also using these tools to optimize neuromodulation treatments for mental health disorders and develop biomarkers of response to treatment.

Dr Helen Barron

Dr Helen Barron

University of Oxford

Helen Barron is a postdoctoral researcher at the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on investigating how memories support adaptive behaviour, with particular interest in the interaction between the hippocampus and neocortex and the role of inhibition. Before moving to Oxford in 2015, Helen studied Natural Sciences (MA Cantab) at the University of Cambridge followed by a 4-Year MRC funded PhD program in Neuroscience at University College London (UCL) under supervision from Professors Tim Behrens and Ray Dolan. She then completed a Junior Research Fellowship under supervision from Professor David Dupret, where she developed a cross-species approach to gain insight into neural circuit mechanisms in the living human brain. Helen’s research now combines non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and brain stimulation in humans with invasive electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulations in mice.

Dr Ines Violante

Dr Ines Violante

University of Surrey

Dr Ines Violante is a Lecturer in Psychological Neuroscience in the School of Psychology, FHMS. She received BSc in Biochemistry and PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Following her PhD, Ines was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship to perform her research project at Imperial College London and University College London.

Ines’ research focuses on understanding the role of brain networks on cognitive functions and the use of brain stimulation as a neuromodulator. Her research combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to understand how brain stimulation (TMS, tACS, tDCS) can be used to modulate brain dynamics and behavioural performance. Ines is interested in how brain oscillations mediate long-range connectivity and particularly how neurostimulation can be used to improve network communication following neurological disorders.

A second strand of research that started during Ines’ PhD studies has been focused on understanding the neurobiological basis of the cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Her research in this field is characterized by being interdisciplinary and translational, applying neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques to translate the inhibitory hypothesis in NF1. Ines has used spectroscopy (MRS), molecular imaging (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging to provide a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiological alterations present in NF1.

Dr Jan Kubanek

Dr Jan Kubanek

University of Utah

Ultrasonic waves enable entirely noninvasive modulation of deep brain neural circuits. The interventions include direct modulation of neural activity by the mechanical aspect of ultrasound waves, and remote release of neuromodulatory drugs from nanoparticle carriers activated by ultrasound. Both approaches use ultrasound intensities below the FDA limits and are considered safe. Recent studies showed that these approaches induce lasting neuroplastic effects, specifically in the target circuits, and therefore have unique potential in treating malfunctioning deep brain circuits in mental and neurological disorders.

To maximize the neuromodulatory effects and validate safety, we developed a system that electronically delivers ultrasound on demand into specific deep brain regions of non-human primates, while the primates perform specific tasks. The system enables modulation of multiple regions simultaneously or in concert, and evaluate corresponding effects on behavior.

The system is used to test the magnitude and duration of the neuroplastic effects induced by these two neuromodulation approaches. Their non-invasiveness is expected to lead to rapid translation into patients with mental and neurological disorders.

Dr Ronak Patel

Dr Ronak Patel

Imperial College London

Ronak is a surgical registrar and a PhD candidate of Imperial College London. He received his BSc (Neuroscience) and MBChB degrees from the University of Bristol. He has recently published reviews on the impact of tDCS on motor skills and on fNIRS responses. His research is now focusing on tDCS-led effects on technical skills and the corresponding cortical activation responses in surgeons.

Dr Vera Mateus

Dr Vera Mateus

Mackenzie Presbyterian University

Dr Vera Mateus is a Post-Doc fellow in the Graduate Program on Developmental Disorders and the Cognitive and Social Neuroscience Lab, at the Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil.
Dr Mateus’ research interests are focused on infant and children’s sociocognitive development, in typical and at-risk samples (e.g., prematurity), and the influence of parent-infant/child interactions. Currently, Dr Mateus uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate infant’s neural processing of social stimuli (e.g., touch, perception of motor actions) and its contribution to socio-emotional development during the first year of life.

7 Early Career Researchers Awarded Poster Prizes

Read the story

Award winners

Roisin McMackin

Research Challenge Award 2020
Roisin McMackin

We are delighted to announce that Roisin McMackin of Trinity College Dublin has been awarded the Brainbox Initiative Research Challenge award for 2020. Roisin is currently seeking ethical approval for her novel study, and, in her next steps, will seek to optimise the study design for this project - consulting with Professor Richard Carson and Dr Bahman Nasseroleslami to achieve this - before starting participant recruitment for the study in December this year.

Davide Folloni

Young Investigator Award 2020
Davide Folloni

We are delighted announce that Dr Davide Folloni of the University of Oxford has been awarded the Brainbox Initiative Young Investigator Award for 2020 for the exceptional work that he is carrying out with transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation.

The Brainbox Initiative’s Young Investigator Award was founded in 2017 to help stimulate, promote, and reward the groundbreaking research that is being carried out every day by early-career neuroscientists using pioneering non-invasive brain stimulation and imaging techniques. Every year we receive a fantastic amount of high-quality research from neuroscientists at universities around the world, and we are extremely pleased to present Dr Davide Folloni with the 2020 award.

Kendra Kandana Arachchige

Research Challenge Award 2020
Kendra Kandana Arachchige

We are delighted to announce that Kendra Kandana Arachchige of Mons University has been awarded the Brainbox Initiative Research Challenge prize for 2020 for her proposed research employing transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques (for the first ever time at the university) in order to help investigate the timing of neural processes involved in gesture/speech integration

Established in 2016, the Brainbox Initiative Research Challenge aims to help early-career neuroscientists with the most ambitious research proposals gain crucial access to the non-invasive brain stimulation and imaging equipment and training that they need to make their plans a reality. We are delighted to award the 2020 Research Challenge prize to Kendra Kandana Arachchige.

leftArrowrightArrow 

2020 conference posters

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation posters

A language research plan about sustained attention through the influence of TMS on right DLPFC with first phase of results

Yangyang Jiang, Doctor Candidate1; Haosu Zhang, Doctor Candidate1, Severin Schramm, Doctor Candidate1;

Nico Sollmann ,MD1 Chiara Negwer, MD1;  Sandro Krieg, Professor Dr. med, Master of Business Administration 1

1.Department ofNeurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22,81675 Munich, Germany


Clinical and functional connectivity outcomes of 5-Hz repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation as an add-on treatment in cocaine use disorder: a double-blind randomized control trial

Eduardo A. Garza-Villarreal1,2Ruth Alcala-Lozano2, Sofía Fernandez-Lozano;2,3, Erik Morelos-Santana2,3, Alan Dávalos2,3, Viviana Villicaña2,5, Sarael Alcauter1, F. Xavier Castellanos5,6, Jorge J. Gonzalez Olvera2

1Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Aútonoma de México 2Instituto Nacional de Psiquitaría, Mexico 3Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 4Faculty of Psychology, Univiersidad Anahuac Sur, Mexico 5Department of Child and Adolescnet Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine 6Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, NY

Functional features of the Bereitschaftspotential Potential: a TMS-EEG study on cortical excitability and connectivity of the SMA in Go/No-go tasks

Alberto Pisoni1,, Valentina Bianco3, Eleonora Arrigoni1, Francesco DI Russo2, Leonor J Romero Lauro1,2

1Dep. Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, It. 2Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Rome – It. 3Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine-It.

A two stage process for improving Brain-Computer Interface outcomes

C. Simon, K. Ruddy

Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin

Bilateral TMS demonstrates a functional interaction between the left and right pSTS during expression processing

Ryan Elson¹, David Pitcher², Magdalena Sliwinska³

¹ University of Nottingham, ² University of York, ³ Liverpool John Moores University

Investigating the link between prefrontal cortex plasticity, cortical thickness and memory: a multimodal approach

Jessica Drodge 1,2 , Olivia Turner 1,3, Feng Gu 1, Manon Desforges 1,4, Sara Tremblay 1-4, Synthia Guimond 1-5

1The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada

2Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada

3Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

4Département de psychoéducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Québec

5Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada

Programmable Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: A Modulation Approach for the Generation of Controllable Magnetic Stimuli

Majid Memarian Sorkhabi1, Karen Wendt1, Jacinta O’Shea2, Daniel J. Rogers3, and Timothy Denison1, 3

1Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TH, UK

2Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

3Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK

Prefrontal theta burst stimulation modulates metabolic activity in the core depression network

Ines Jani,1 Cecelia Shvetz1, Abir Gebara1, Juho Joutsa MD/PhD3, Lauri Tuominen, MD/PHD1, Sara Tremblay, PHD1,2,

1Molecular Imaging Laboratory, The Royal’s institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada

2Département de psychoéducation et psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Canada

3University of Turku, Turku, Finland

A naturalistic trial comparing the efficacy of uni-and bi-lateral theta burst stimulation in treating major depression, a study protocol

Antoinette Broomfield1, Molly Watson1,2, Abir Gebara1, Manon Desforges1, 4, Kelly Schincariol1, Jyllenna Wilke1,5, Derin Gokbayrak1,6, Shehan Katuwapitiya3, Asif Khan3, Zafiris J. Daskalakis7, Lisa McMurray3, Sara Tremblay1,2,4

1The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada; 2Neuroscience Department, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; 3The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada; 4Département de psychoéducation et psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Canada; 5Psychology Department, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; 6Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; 7Department of Psychiatry, University California San Diego, USA

Alterations in cortical excitability during acute musculoskeletal pain: Research Proposal for a Combined TMS-EEG Study

Nahian S. Chowdhury, Samantha K. Millard, Alan Chiang, Patrick Skippen, David A Seminowicz , Wei-Ju Chang, Katarzyna Bilska & Siobhan M Schabrun

Investigating the temporality of gesture/speech integration with transcranial magnetic stimulation: Building of a study

Kandana Arachchige, K.1, Simoes Loureiro, I.1& Lefebvre, L.1

1Department of Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Mons, Belgium

Self-other emotional congruency and visual perspective taking in immersive VR: A TMS and eye-tracking study

B Ford, A Qureshi, D Litchfield

Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University

Moderate test re-test reliability of supplementary motor area-primary motor cortex connectivity measured using dual-site TMS in younger and older adults

Brittany Rurak1, Dr Julian Rodrigues2Dr Brian Power2,3Prof Peter Drummond1,and Dr Ann-Maree Vallence1

1College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Australia;  2Hollywood Private Hospital, Australia;3 School of Medicine Fremantle, University of Notre Dame, Australia

Exploring the effects of cerebellar transcranial direct-current stimulation on thalamo-cortical networks during command-following

Davide Aloia,b, Roya Jalalia,b, R Chris Mialla, Davinia Fernández-Espejoa,b

aSchool of Psychology, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK

bCentre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham,

Resting State fMRI and EEG Functional Connectivity Before and After a Course of rTMS for Major Depressive Disorder

Godfrey, Kate1, Hoeh, Nicholas2; Stinear, Cathy2, Muthukumaraswamy, Suresh1

1School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, 2School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Neuroimaging posters

Disorder-Specific & Transdiagnostic Functional Neuroimaging Abnormalities in Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis

Chris H. Miller, Ph.D.

California State University, Fresno

Rhyme and Rhythm Modulation in Dyslexia

Carlos A. Mugruza-Vassallo1, Keith A. Schneider1

1. University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

“My mother’s touch”: Neural processing of affective touch in 6-month-old infants

Mateus, V.1, Petrovitch, I. 1, Camillo, J. 1, Wirth, K. 1, Novi, S. L. 2,3, Scavariello, G. 2,3, De Mendonça, J. S. 1, Mesquita, R. C. 2,3, & Osório, A. 1

1Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Developmental Disorders Graduate Program, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil;
2“Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics, University of Campinas, Campinas –São Paulo, Brazil;
3Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Campinas, Brazil.

Structural neuroadaptative changes as a consequence of alcohol use disorder: A pilot study

Angeles-Valdez, Diego1, López-Castro Alejandra1, Alcauter Sarael 1, Garza-Villarreal, Eduardo A1

1Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro.

BRAIN PLASTICITY IN THE PERIPARTUM: A MULTI-METHOD LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS

Guiomar, R.1, Pacheco, F.1, Silva, A.1, Fonseca, A.1, Mateus, V.2, Pereira, M.1, Osório, A.2, Ganho-Ávila, A.1

1University of Coimbra, Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Portugal; 2 Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Developmental Disorders Graduate Program, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Brazil

Free-water imaging in cocaine use disorder

Rasgado-Toledo, J1, Apurva Shah2, Madhura Ingalhalikar2, Eduardo A. Garza-Villarreal1

1 Instituto de Neurobiologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) campus Juriquilla, Queretaro, Mexico.

2 Symbiosis Center for Medical Image Analysis, Symbiosis International University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy (MATT) for Anxiety Disorders: Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity

Meghan A. Gonsalves, ScM1, 2, Quincy Beck, ScB2, Andrew M. Fukuda, MD, PhD2, 3, Eric Tirrell, BA2, Fatih Kokdere, MD2, 3, Eugenia F. Kronenberg, ScB2, Nicolas D. Iadarola, MS2, 4, Sean Hagberg, PhD5, 6, Linda L. Carpenter, MD2, 3, Jennifer Barredo, PhD2, 3, 7

1, Neuroscience Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI; 2 Butler Hospital Neuromodulation Research Facility, Providence, RI; 3 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI; 4 University of Arizona College of Medicine- Tucson, Tucson, AZ; 5 Affect Neuro, Brooklyn, NY; 6 University of New Mexico Department of Neurosurgery, Albuquerque, NM; 7 Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI

BEST Toolbox: Brain Electrophysiological recording & STimulation Toolbox

Umair Hassan1,3, Steven Pillen1, Christoph Zrenner2,3, Til Ole Bergmann1

1Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR),Mainz, Germany

2Department of Neurology & Stroke, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

3sync2brain GmbH, Tübingen, Germany

The Neurocognitive Correlates of Political Incivility in Prime Minister’s Questions

Roast, L., Weinberg, A. and Bull, P. (manuscript in preparation).
University of Bournemouth, University of Salford

Novel Diffusion Imaging Predictors of Stroke Recovery

Kah Long Aw, supervised by Prof. Marco Catani
King’s College London

The Importance of the Flocculonodular Lobe of Cerebellum in Predicting Time Perception Performance

Hayriye AKTAŞ-DİNÇER1Didem GÖKÇAY2

1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Middle East Technical University
221 yyÜrünleri

Attention modulates visual perception during moving visual scenes: a daily challenge

Angela Mastropasqua a,b,c,hGizem Vural eMarianne Dieterich b,c,d,h Paul C.J. Taylor b,c,f,g,h

aDanish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen UniversityHospital Hvidovre, Denmark bDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany, cGerman Centerfor Vertigo and Balance Disorders, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany, dSyNergy–Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology, Munich, Germany,eDepartment of Psychology, LMU Munich, Germany, f Faculty of Philosophy and Philosophy of Science, LMU Munich, Germany, g Munich Centerfor Neuroscience, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany, hGraduate School of SystemicNeurosciences (GSN)

Functional brain organisation during ocular and oculo-manual pursuit: an fNIRS study

Lénaic Borot & Simon J. Bennett

RISES, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

The Neural Effects of Antidepressants on Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis

Shay Santos, Marisol Duran, & Chris Miller

California State University, Fresno

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation posters

Findings, limitations and new directions in tACS studies in schizophrenia research: a scoping review

Adriana Farcas, PhD Candidate, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Felicia Iftene MD, PhD, FRCPC, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Center of Neuroscience, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Findings, limitations and new directions in tACS studies in schizophrenia research: a scoping review

Adriana Farcas, PhD Candidate, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Felicia Iftene MD, PhD, FRCPC, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Center of Neuroscience, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Personalized frequency-modulated brain stimulation for associative memory improvement

Dunja Paunović, Katarina Vulić, Marko Živanović, Jovana Bjekić & Saša R Filipović

Institute for Medical Research and Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade

Cognitive enhancement using tDCS in high and low rumination individuals: the role of cognitive profiles and psychological traits

Sobral, M., Silva, A., Vanderhasselt, M. , Canavarro, M. C. , & Ganho-Ávila, A.

University of Coimbra (Portugal), Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Faculty of

Psychology and Educational Sciences; Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent,

Belgium; Department of Head and Skin, Unit of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Neuromodulation (tDCS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) flattens gender differences in the sensitivity to facial expressions

Annalisa Palmisano1, Francesco Bossi2, Cecilia Barlabà1, Francesco Febbraio1, Riccardo Loconte1, Antonella Lupo1, Michael A. Nitsche3,4 & Davide Rivolta1

1. Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.

2. Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Lucca, Italy.

3. Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.

4. Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum.

Focal Repetitive Stimulation As A Therapeutic Intervention On Preclinical Alcohol Model: A Prospective Study

Alejandra Lopez-Castro, Diego Angeles-Valdez, Gerard Rojas-Piloni, Eduardo A. Garza-Villarreal

Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México

Enhancing steady state visually evoked potentials with tACS: precise frequency control with LCD glasses

James Dowsett and Paul C.J. Taylor

Faculty of Philosophy and Philosophy of Science, LMU Munich, Germany.

Munich Center for Neuroscience, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.

Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany

German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany

Dose-dependent effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation on spike timing in awake nonhuman primates

Ivan Alekseichuk1, Luke Johnson2*, Jordan Krieg1, Alex Doyle3, Ying Yu2, Jerrold Vitek2, Matthew Johnson1, Alexander Opitz1

1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; 2Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; 3Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; *Equal contribution

Low Glx: GABAratio at baseline predicts greater tDCS gains in verbal episodic memory

Annegret Habich1,2, Johannes Slotboom3, Stefan Klöppel4

1 University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
2 Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
3 University Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
4 University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

M1-tDCS Modulates Dynamic Effective Connectivity in the Motor Network

Sara Calzolari, Roya Jalali, Davinia Fernández-Espejo

Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK
School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK

Integrated Diagnosis for Disorders of Consciousness

Paola Di Maio

Center for Systems Knowledge Representation and Neuroscience

Selective modulation of interhemispheric connectivity by TACS stimulation influences auditory perception

Basil Preisig1,2,3Lars Riecke4, Matthias Sjerps1,2, Anne Kösem1,2,5, Benjamin Kop1, Bob Bramson1, Peter Hagoort1,2& Alexis Hervais-Adelman3

1Donders Institute for Cognitive Neuroimaging, RadboudUniversity, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 2Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; 3Department of Psychology, Neurolinguistics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 4Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, the Netherlands; 5Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Brain Dynamics and Cognition Team, UniversitéClaude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France

Using Optical Neuroimaging to Reveal Mechanisms of Augmentation by Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES): A Systematic Review

Dawidziuk A1, Patel R1, Darzi A1, Leff DR1, Singh H1

1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Combining interventions to foster recovery in Severe Mental Illness: A Cognitive Remediation and tDCS pilot trial

A. Poppe1,2, L. Bais1, D. van Duin3,4, B. Ćurčić-Blake 5, G.H.M. Pijnenborg2,6,L. van der Meer1,2

1 LentisPsychiatric Institute, Department of Rehabilitation; 2 University of Groningen, Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology; 3 Trimbos-Institute; 4PhrenosCenter of Expertise; 5University Medical Center Groningen, Department of BSCS Neuroscience; 6GGZ Drenthe, Department of Psychotic Disorders, The Netherlands.

Cerebellar inhibition disrupts prism adaptation by impairing feedforward error correction

Verena Sarrazina, Matthieu Kandelb, Valerie Gaveaub, Gershon Spitzc,d, Pierre Petitetc, Yves Rossettib & Jacinta O’Sheaa

aOHBA, Department of Psychiatry, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, bIMPACT, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, cFMRIB, NDCN, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging,
dMonash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University

Investigating the interaction between white matter and brain state in tDCS-induced changes in brain network activity

Danielle L. Kurtin, Ines R. Violante, Karl Zimmerman, Rob Leech, Adam Hampshire, Maneesh C. Patel, David W. Carmichael, David J. Sharp, Lucia M. Li

Investigating tACS-induced neural entrainment in a computational model of morphologically realistic neurons

Harry Tran1, Sina Shirinpour1, Alexander Opitz1

1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, MN, USA

Is the ‘end-of-study-guess’ a valid measure of sham blinding during tDCS?

Christopher Turner, Catherine Jackson & Gemma Learmonth

Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow

Investigating phase synchrony of sensorimotor cortices while learning a novel bimanual motor task

Marleen J. Schoenfeld1,2,3, Ioana Grigoras1,2,3, Charlotte J. Stagg1,2,3, Catharina Zich1,2

1WellcomeCentre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford

2Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, WellcomeCentre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

3Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford

Timing is Everything: event-related TDCS improves context-dependent motor adaptation

Matthew Weightman 1,3,4 John-Stuart Brittain 2,4 Alison Hall 1,4 Chris Miall 2,3,4 & Ned Jenkinson 1,3,4

1 School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham

2 School of Psychology, University of Birmingham

3 MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research

4 Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham

Bilateral motor cortex tDCS effects on post-stroke pain and spasticity: A pilot study

Ángeles Salas Sánchez1, Belén Álvarez Batista1, Carlos Cordero García2, José R. Alameda Bailén1, Rafael Andújar Barroso1, Michael Nitsche3,4, G. Nathzidy Rivera-Urbina5A. Molero-Chamizo1

1University of Huelva. Department of Psychology. Spain

2Rehabilitation Area, Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez, Huelva

3Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany

4Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany

5Autonomous University of Baja California, Mexico

Bi-directional tDCS produces anterior and posterior current flow in neighbouring cortical targets

Jenny Lee1Carys Evans1, Nick Ward1, Sven Bestmann1,2

1Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL
2Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging