Awarded in 2023
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Leanne Williams (Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences), Ellen Kuhl (Mechanical Engineering), and Laura Hack (Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences)

Research Title: An Integrated Continuum Finite Element & Network Neuroscience Method for Understanding Mechanisms of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Research Description: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a promising emerging treatment for psychiatric disorders that attempts to modulate functional connections in the brain. However, the physical mechanisms by which TMS achieves neuromodulation remain poorly understood. Here, Divya suggests leveraging the finite element method to generate physics-based models of the magnetic induction and propagation of electrical signals over the brain’s cortical surface during TMS. She proposes a novel method to interpret the resulting 3D electric fields as a graph network of neural activity in order to map simulated currents to observed changes in functional connectivity measured using fMRI. By investigating the causal link between TMS signal spread, functional connectivity changes, and clinical symptom improvement, this study seeks to establish a mechanistic model of TMS, to be used as a basis for improving treatment efficacy and specificity.