Different types of brain stimulation strategies – including both pharmacological and electromagnetic – have shown to offer therapeutic effects for neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the outcome of these interventions remains sub-optimal, mainly because their full mechanisms of action remain unclear.

The BRAINSTIM project aims to improve the predictive power of stimulation outcomes in brain network models by validating the simulation results with in vivo experiments in rodents. Indeed, functional networks analogous to the ones detected in humans have been consistently detected in rats. Therefore, we plan to extend existing brain network models to rat data, which will allow for an empirical assessment of the impact of different stimulation strategies on the functional connectivity between brain areas. These experiments will provide invaluable insights for the optimization and validation of computational models and assess improvements in behavioural symptoms.

Overall, the BRAINSTIM project will deliver optimized in silico predictions of brain stimulation strategies, allowing for a better understanding of the modulatory effect of different interventions in the functional connectivity between brain areas.

We expect these results to bring novel avenues in the design of more effective treatments for mental disorders associated with patho-connectivity.