Desmond Oathes
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Neuroscience
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) uses magnetic pulses applied through the scalp to change brain activity. It is approved to treat depression that does not respond to antidepressant drugs.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Psychology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
depression
major depressive disorder
transcranial magnetic stimulation
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2029
What they work on
- 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.
- Identify the connectivity analysis pipeline that most robustly engages the sgACC when guiding where on the scalp to apply transcranial magnetic stimulation.
- Test whether the sgACC response evoked by TMS at baseline predicts depression improvement after rTMS treatment delivered to the same frontal-sgACC circuit.
- Test whether changes in the frontal-sgACC circuit relate to clinical improvement in depression, comparing active rTMS with sham (placebo) stimulation.
More about the research
Treatment usually targets a frontal brain circuit linked to the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), a deep brain region tied to mood. Brain-scan studies show that symptoms improve as sgACC connections change. Yet no one has proven that TMS actually reaches and alters the sgACC, so it is unclear whether this target deserves its central place.
Why it matters
Many people with depression do not improve on antidepressant medication, and rTMS is one of their options. Showing that a measurable brain response predicts improvement could help clinicians aim stimulation at the right circuit and anticipate who will benefit. This could make brain stimulation treatment for depression more reliable.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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.
Joy Schmitz
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX·Medicine & Clinical Research
Test whether adding active rather than sham deep TMS with an H4 coil to contingency management raises abstinence, increases cocaine-negative urines and reduces craving in people who do not respond to contingency management alone.
L Elliot Hong
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX·Neuroscience
Test whether 16 weeks of family-based risk reduction therapy normalizes an MRI-based biomarker of schizophrenia-like brain patterns in children aged 9–18 with family risk but no psychotic symptoms.
The school
University of Pennsylvania: 90 labs on PI Pages, $2.2B a year on research, 750 research doctorates a year.
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