WIPs + Publication Round Up

Caro Nettekoven, Joseph Balfe, Alicia Northall

Wednesday, 04 March 2026, 12pm to 1pm

Hybrid via Teams or in-person in the Cowey rooms, FMRIB Annexe

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WIN Wednesday Works In Progress Low-intensity Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation Of The Cerebellum

Presented by Caroline Nettekoven

Abstract: We are interested in how specific brain circuits, particularly the cerebellum, shape human cognition and motor control. This could improve our understanding of conditions in which these same circuits are affected. To study this, we will use a non-invasive brain stimulation method that uses ultrasound waves, called transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS). A single session has reversible effects that typically last about an hour. The key advantage of TUS is that it can reach deeper brain structures, including individually defined targets in the cerebellum. Because TUS was established more recently than other stimulation or imaging methods, the research systems are not yet CE-marked (meaning the companies have not yet undergone checks to show the product complies with EU legislation).

In this project, we will test whether personalised TUS can produce temporary changes in cerebellar-cortical circuits that support cognition (e.g., prediction, attention, working memory, language, and social reasoning) and movement.

Our primary objective is to assess how TUS alters brain activity and behaviour on brief cognitive tasks in healthy adults, using MR-based and behavioural measures acquired after stimulation.

Ultimately, this work aims to provide causal evidence for a cerebellar role in movement and cognition and to determine whether individually targeted TUS can modulate these circuits in a safe, tolerable, and replicable way, informing future work in neurological and psychiatric conditions.

How does stimulation change adaptation to uncertainty in low mood?

Presented by Joseph Balfe

Abstract: Depression is a psychiatric illness characterised by persistent negative affect which is thought to be maintained by negative biases or expectations about the world. As such, treatments that can improve the processing of negative information are sought after.

Individuals with high anxiety or low mood have difficulties adjusting their learning rates to negative outcomes when the environment is volatile (Browning et al., 2015). We have shown that prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can normalise this deficit (Sarrazin et al., 2024). Here, we ask what brain changes mediate this effect.

In our planned experiment, participants with low mood will perform the information bias learning task (IBLT) during MRI while receiving concurrent sham or active tDCS (2 sessions, counterbalanced). In a separate pair of sessions, we will use MRS to quantify change in excitation-inhibition balance with active tDCS in prefrontal versus control (visual) regions. We will test the hypothesis that stimulation will increase BOLD change in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during loss volatility. We will assess Glu/GABA change in that region as a marker of inter-individual variation in response to tDCS.

The goal is to gain new mechanistic insights into how tDCS interacts with the brain to improve information processing in low mood. Our findings may help to inform the development of more effective treatment strategies for cognitive deficits in depression.

Naturalistic Movements in ALS with OPM-MEG

Presented by Alicia Northall

Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease increasingly recognised as a multisystem disorder with widespread cortical involvement. A major barrier to therapeutic development is the lack of robust, non-invasive biomarkers reflecting disease activity across its heterogeneous spectrum. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measures cortical activity with millisecond resolution and has demonstrated sensitivity to neurophysiological alterations in ALS. However, conventional SQUID-based MEG systems constrain movement, limiting investigation of ecologically valid motor behaviours. Wearable optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) MEG enables recording during naturalistic movements, providing a unique opportunity to study cortical dynamics during everyday actions. This project will characterise movement-locked cortical oscillatory activity in people with ALS compared to healthy controls during functional tasks such as sit-to-stand transitions. By integrating behavioural and neurophysiological measures, we aim to identify sensitive markers of cortical dysfunction during naturalistic motor behaviour. The shift towards naturalistic tasks may enable identification of early markers of disease activity in asymptomatic individuals at genetic risk of ALS, supporting future preventive trials.

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