CMU Neural Engineering Virtual Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Lennart Verhagen, Donders Institute, Radboud University, the Netherlands
Abstract: To understand and especially to treat the human brain, it is imperative we have the ability to non-invasively modulate deep brain regions with high precision. This has long been an ambition and now with advancements in focused ultrasound, it is within reach. Ultrasound waves can be safely focused through the human skull to modulate neural activity, including in deep brain structures. In previous work, we have shown how we can transiently induce plasticity changes - in the amygdala, basal forebrain, medial frontal cortex, and many more regions - as measured with neuroimaging and behaviour. Now, we are translating this approach to humans. We map out fundamental effects and confounds in the context of motor responses. We show how ultrasound protocols can have a fast excitatory drive, modulating saccade bias by stimulating the frontal eye fields. And we report how we can by boost fear extinction by stimulating the amygdala in a classical threat conditioning paradigm. In all studies, our focus is on optimizing efficacy and safety, minimizing confounds, and laying the strongest possible foundations for a new neurotechnology in humans.
About the Speaker: Lennart Verhagen is an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuromodulation at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour at the Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is the Chair of the International consortium on Transcranial Ultrasonic Stimulation Safety and Standards (ITRUSST) and Director of the Radboud Focused Ultrasound (FUS) Initiative. As an integrative neuroscientist, Verhagen studies the brain and cognition across species and scales, combining behavioural, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation techniques. Previously as a fellow at Oxford, Verhagen has shown how deep brain regions can be modulated with non-invasive focused ultrasound, inducing hour-long plastic changes. Now at the Donders Institute, the Verhagen lab is developing ultrasonic neuromodulation tools for both basic research and clinical application.