Artificial Stimulation Can Help Fight Brain Disorders

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Nov, 2016 ) : Researchers have discovered that stimulation of a single region of the brain affects the activation of other regions and large-scale activity within the brain.

"We don't have a good understanding of the effects of brain stimulation," said first author Sarah Muldoon, assistant professor of mathematics in University at Buffalo's college of arts and sciences.

"When a clinician has a patient with a certain disorder, how can they decide which parts of the brain to stimulate? Our study is a step toward better understanding how brain connectivity can better inform these decisions," she added.

The study used a computational model to simulate brain activity in eight individuals whose brain architecture was mapped.

The research examined the impact of stimulating each of 83 regions within each subject's brain.

While results varied by person, common trends emerged, Medical Xpress reported. Network hubs - areas of the brain that are strongly connected to other parts of the brain via the brain's white matter - displayed what researchers call a "high functional effect".

Stimulating these regions resulted in the global activation of many brain regions. These patterns suggest that doctors could pursue two classes of therapies when it comes to brain stimulation: a "broad reset" that alters global brain dynamics, or a more targeted approach that focuses on the dynamics of just a few regions.