Ying-Hui Chou
University of Arizona, AZ·Neuroscience
Memory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD) appears to begin before brain cells die, when the hippocampus, a brain region essential for forming new memories, loses its ability to strengthen and reshape its connections (synaptic plasticity). No current treatment changes the course of the disease.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Medicine & Clinical Research
Psychology
- Topics
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
rTMS
hippocampus
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jan 2027
What they work on
- Determine whether excitatory or inhibitory rTMS, magnetic pulses delivered through the scalp and aimed at the hippocampus, improves memory more than sham stimulation, in a randomized crossover trial of 60 adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
- Verify that MRI-guided rTMS changes hippocampal functional connectivity, meaning how in sync the hippocampus is with other brain regions, measured with functional MRI and diffusion-tensor imaging.
- Develop statistical models from the trial's memory and brain imaging data to predict individual responses to rTMS, and use them to build a personalized, image-guided hippocampal stimulation protocol.
More about the research
Studies in animal models suggest that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which uses magnetic pulses from a coil held against the scalp to excite brain cells, can restore this plasticity and improve learning and memory. The hippocampus, however, lies too deep for the pulses to reach directly.
Why it matters
Older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment face a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and few options exist to slow memory decline. A personalized, non-invasive way to stimulate the hippocampus could offer early intervention, and models that predict who will respond could help tailor brain stimulation therapy to each patient.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
C Arrington
Georgia State University, GA·Neuroscience
Test whether inhibiting the left dorsal stream with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) slows sound processing and impairs learning and retention of similar-sounding made-up words in typical readers aged 16 to 21.
Desmond Oathes
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Neuroscience
Establish that TMS targeted with resting-state fMRI connectivity modulates the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), a deep mood-related region, using interleaved TMS/fMRI to record brain responses to stimulation.
Zafiris Daskalakis
University of California-San Diego, CA·Medicine & Clinical Research
Compare standard, clustered and sham maintenance rTMS over six months in 75 adults with treatment-resistant depression, testing which best sustains connectivity between the DLPFC and SGC measured by TMS-EEG.
The school
University of Arizona: 36 labs on PI Pages, $1.0B a year on research, 487 research doctorates a year.
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