The striatum is a deep region of the brain that is involved in thoughts, emotions and behaviour through its interactions with the cortex. Dysfunction of the striatum plays an important role in many different brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s disease, drug addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a popular technique for targeted, non-invasive brain stimulation, and may be a promising therapy for some of these disorders. However, the deep location of the striatum in the brain makes hard to target with non-invasive TMS. In this project, we aim to develop methods for stimulating specific cortical areas, which can be accessed by TMS, that are connected to specific regions of the striatum. In this way, we hope to improve the function of specific brain circuits underlying different disorders.