Effects of deep non-invasive brain stimulation on emotion, motivation and decision making

深度非侵入性脑刺激对情绪、动机和决策的影响

• 批准号: EP/X021815/1
• 负责人: Miriam Klein-Flügge
• 金额: $ 175.12万
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX021815%2F1
• 关键词: Effects; deep; non; invasive; brain

Humans constantly adapt their decisions to changes in their internal and external circumstances. This flexibility is typically associated with prefrontal cortex (PFC), the most uniquely human part of the brain. However, PFC is highly interconnected with phylogenetically older subcortical regions deep within the brain. These regions are more difficult to study in healthy humans, yet animal work suggests they are vital for decision-making. Currently, we do not understand how subcortex and PFC interact. DeepStim will use cutting-edge tools to test the overarching hypothesis that human decision processes attributed to PFC critically rely on interactions with deep subcortical regions. DeepStim will overcome two major barriers for studying human subcortex. First, the lack of non-invasive tools to modulate activity deep within the brain: by using transcranial ultrasonic stimulation (TUS), a technique I recently pioneered in macaques, I will non-invasively alter human subcortical areas to study their causal role for the first time. Second, the lack of reliable spatially resolved subcortical neuroimaging signals: by combining state-of-the-art ultra-high field neuroimaging with new subcortical atlases I recently developed, I will study human subcortex at unprecedented resolution.DeepStim has three key aims: (1) apply TUS at different task stages to determine the causal contribution of subcortex to decision-making; (2) combine TUS and 7T-fMRI to study subcortical interactions with PFC; (3) dissociate the contribution of individual subcortical nuclei using new atlases and selective TUS stimulation.DeepStim will reveal the causal role of subcortical regions in human decision-making. This ability to move beyond correlational work and consider the distributed nature of decision circuits will open a new horizon for human neuroscience that holds considerable potential for translation because the subcortical circuits stimulated here are frequently dysfunctional in mental illness.

人类不断使自己的决定适应内部和外部环境的变化。这种柔韧性通常与前额叶皮层（PFC）有关，这是大脑中最独特的人类部分。然而，PFC与大脑深处的系统发育较老的皮质下区域高度互连。这些地区在健康的人类中更难研究，但是动物工作表明它们对于决策至关重要。目前，我们不了解亚皮肤和PFC如何相互作用。 DeepStim将使用前沿工具来检验以下总体假设，即归因于PFC的人类决策过程严重依赖于与深层皮层下区域的相互作用。 DeepStim将克服研究人皮层的两个主要障碍。首先，缺乏用于调节大脑内部活动的非侵入性工具：通过使用经颅超声刺激（TUS），我最近在猕猴中开创了一种技术，我将非侵入性地改变人类皮层下区域来研究其因果关系。其次，缺乏可靠的空间分辨下皮层神经影像学信号：通过将最先进的超高现场神经影像与我最近开发的新的皮层图形相结合，我将在非前提分辨率​​上研究人类亚皮层。 （2）将TUS和7T-FMRI结合起来研究与PFC的皮层相互作用； （3）使用新的地图酶和选择性tus刺激解离单个皮质核的贡献。DeepStim将揭示皮层区域在人类决策中的因果作用。这种超越相关性工作并考虑决策回路的分布性的能力将为人类神经科学开辟新的地平线，因为在这里刺激的皮层皮层电路在精神疾病中经常功能障碍，因此具有巨大的翻译潜力。