NX-436: Advanced methods for human neuromodulation

Summary

Neuromodulation is an expending field especially in human translational neuroscience and neurotechnology. This course will introduce to different approaches / technologies for neuromodulation, their underlying mechanisms of action and application in humans in healthy and pathological conditions.

Official source

https://edu.epfl.ch/coursebook/en/advanced-methods-for-human-neuromodulation-NX-436

Moodle Page

http://go.epfl.ch/NX-436

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Lectures in this course (17)

Related concepts (60)

Related courses (16)

Related MOOCs (24)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive form of brain stimulation in which a changing magnetic field is used to induce an electric current at a specific area of the brain through electromagnetic induction. An electric pulse generator, or stimulator, is connected to a magnetic coil connected to the scalp. The stimulator generates a changing electric current within the coil which creates a varying magnetic field, inducing a current within a region in the brain itself.

Neurostimulation

Neurostimulation is the purposeful modulation of the nervous system's activity using invasive (e.g. microelectrodes) or non-invasive means (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial electric stimulation, tES, such as tDCS or transcranial alternating current stimulation, tACS). Neurostimulation usually refers to the electromagnetic approaches to neuromodulation.

Transcranial direct-current stimulation

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of neuromodulation that uses constant, low direct current delivered via electrodes on the head. It was originally developed to help patients with brain injuries or neuropsychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorder. It can be contrasted with cranial electrotherapy stimulation, which generally uses alternating current the same way, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation. Research shows increasing evidence for tDCS as a treatment for depression.

Deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure involving the placement of a medical device called a neurostimulator, which sends electrical impulses, through implanted electrodes, to specific targets in the brain (the brain nucleus) for the treatment of movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and epilepsy. While its underlying principles and mechanisms are not fully understood, DBS directly changes brain activity in a controlled manner.

Vegetative state

A vegetative state (VS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU), is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative state, the patient is classified as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). This diagnosis is classified as a permanent vegetative state some months (three in the US and six in the UK) after a non-traumatic brain injury or one year after a traumatic injury.