Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research

Personalized precision neuromodulation by combining transcranial magnetic and ultrasonic stimulation with neuroimaging

Maximilian Lückel (1,2)

(1) Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, (2) Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research

Transcranial magnetic and ultrasonic stimulation (TMS, TUS) are used to non-invasively modulate neuronal activity across the human brain. To further improve the precision and, thus, effectiveness of these techniques in, e.g., clinical applications, it is essential to carefully plan and personalize their application prospectively. In this talk, I will illustrate how to combine both TMS and TUS with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – firstly for planning and personalizing device placement as well as stimulation site and intensity, and secondly to determine whether the stimulation successfully reaches the neuronal target structure. I will show how to derive detailed information about individual head and brain anatomy as well as functional brain organization from structural and functional MRI, respectively, and how to utilize biophysical simulations of the TMS-induced electric and TUS-induced acoustic fields for optimizing various stimulation parameters. Finally, I will explain how to combine both stimulation methods with concurrent functional MRI measurements to provide proof of successful neural target engagement.