The overarching goal of Dr. Keller’s Laboratory (kellerlab.stanford.edu) is to improve brain stimulation treatment for neurological and psychiatric disease. Specifically, his lab seeks to improve Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and other brain stimulation techniques by better understanding the fundamental principles of human brain plasticity and building trans-diagnostic real-time monitoring platforms for personalized brain stimulation. TMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique focused on normalizing dysfunctional brain networks and is FDA-approved for depression, OCD, migraines, and smoking cessation, with clinical trials underway for PTSD, addiction, and Alzheimers. Unfortunately, TMS is typically applied in a one-size-fits-all manner without reference to one’s biology, and as such we are in critical need for a personalized and more effective approach. Dr. Keller performs translational research at the intersection of neuroscience, electrophysiology, brain stimulation, neuroengineering, psychiatry, and precision therapeutics. His work suggests that brain-based biomarkers may be used to predict non-responders to TMS treatment, monitor brain networks during intervention, and be used to propose novel targets and treatment paradigms. Dr. Keller emphasizes an environment conducive to team-based learning in order to train the next generation of clinically-informed circuit neuroscientists, question the status quo with rigorous scientific experiments, and make important contributions in understanding how brain stimulation alters neural circuits and behavior and translate these findings to develop targeted, personalized, and more effective treatments.
Bio-X Affiliated Faculty