The therapeutic role of Non-invasive Temporal Interference (TI) stimulation in Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

The therapeutic role of Non-invasive Temporal Interference (TI) stimulation in Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), characterized by cranial compression leading to neural loss and white matter damage. IT is associated with the development of severe neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia. Temporal interference (TI) stimulation has emerged as a recent therapeutic modality for severe neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. TI stimulation delivers two frequencies to the brain, generating an electrical field with nuanced frequency differentials, thereby non-invasively targeting specific brain regions. Experimental validation on animal models and healthy subjects has revealed significant improvements in cognitive function following TI stimulation. Recognizing shared pathological mechanisms between TBI and AD, our laboratory has initiated investigations into the potential anti-inflammatory effects of TI stimulation in the context of TBI. A conducted experiment applied TI stimulation targeting the ipsilateral hippocampus in a mild Closed head injury (CHI) model, with a single impact, resulting in observed memory enhancement. However, the cellular and molecular consequences of TI stimulation on the brain remain an unexplored realm. This research project seeks to delineate these changes through various staining techniques targeting Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), microglia, and neurogenesis. Floating brain sections from three distinct groups: CHI-TI, CHI control, and sham were subjected to staining, enabling the quantification of alterations in the hippocampal region and cortex. Our findings unveil that TI stimulation augments activated microglial populations, diminishes astrocyte presence, and exerts no apparent impact on neural proliferation. This scientific endeavour contributes to the elucidation of the neurobiological effects of TI stimulation, paving the way for a deeper understanding of its therapeutic potential in TBIs.

Motivational Tendencies and Drivers of Self-Harm in Young individuals: A Pilot study examining heart rate variability in young people who self-harm.

Mental imagery plays a crucial role in driving emotions and maintaining behaviors in psychopathology, including self-harm (SH). Imagery Rescripting (ImRS) has emerged as a therapeutic technique that specifically targets distressing mental images, which vividly evoke emotional experiences and reinforce maladaptive patterns. ImRS works by revising unhelpful mental images and rewriting them into scenarios that evoke adaptive feelings, such as contentment. To explore the mechanisms of ImRS, we conducted a controlled experimental study involving participants with a history of SH. During the ImRS sessions, we measured participants' heart rate variability (HRV) and recorded their emotional responses, including positive emotions evoked by the antidote image and negative emotions evoked by images related to SH. We also assessed the vividness of both mental imagery types during consecutive steps of a mental imagery exercise. Our findings indicated no significant changes in HRV during the ImRS exercise. Nevertheless, the results from self-reports and exploratory analyses of HRV, along with correlations between these findings, suggest the potential positive impact of ImRS in addressing unhelpful mental imagery among vulnerable young individuals who engage in SH.

Application of a novel measure of BOLD signal variability to psychedelic neuroimaging data

Background: LSD significantly alters brain functional activities and dynamics, but its effects on temporal variability in the BOLD signal have not been explored yet. Temporal variability in the BOLD signal indicates the level of neural flexibility, which reflects the brain's ability to adapt to changing cognitive demands. Aims: This study aimed to examine the temporal variability of the BOLD signal using RMSSD measure and identify brain regions exhibiting greater variability under LSD compared to a placebo. Method: We investigated a specific aspect of brain variability under LSD—the temporal changes in neural activity—using the RMSSD measure. This is the first application of this method in psychedelic neuroimaging data. We compared the LSD condition with placebo scans of the same group of subjects, measuring BOLD signal variability across different brain regions over time. Key Findings: Our results revealed that LSD significantly increases the temporal variability of neural activity compared to placebo. Furthermore, this increase was positively correlated with the subjective experience of profound transcendent experience.