Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Targets Deep Brain Region

Personalized approach boosts effectiveness of neuromodulation treatment

Apr. 3, 2026 at 5:44am

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A highly structured abstract painting in muted earth tones, featuring sweeping geometric shapes, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, visualizing the complex neural pathways and connectivity between the cortex and the hippocampus, a deep brain region critical for memory and emotion.A personalized approach to noninvasive brain stimulation could unlock new treatments for conditions linked to hippocampal dysfunction.Iowa City Today

Neuroscientists at the University of Iowa have demonstrated that noninvasive brain stimulation can alter the activity of the hippocampus, a critical deep brain region involved in emotion and memory. The study shows that personalizing the stimulation site using a patient's unique brain connectivity pathway can increase the neuromodulation effect, representing a step toward more effective and reliable circuit-based treatments.

Why it matters

The hippocampus plays a crucial role in multiple brain functions, and problems with hippocampal function have been linked to various neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Safely and effectively targeting the hippocampus without invasive implants or non-targeted drugs is a major challenge, so these findings establish a foundation for a personalized, noninvasive neuromodulation approach that could lead to new ways to treat these conditions.

The details

The researchers combined noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent measurement of hippocampal activity using intracranial electrodes in eight neurosurgical patients. They found that stimulating personalized cortical sites based on each patient's unique hippocampal connectivity preferentially elicited activity changes in the hippocampus, while non-personalized stimulation did not. This connectivity-informed strategy for targeting the stimulation site improved the effectiveness of the neuromodulation.

  • The study was recently published online in Nature Communications.

The players

Jing Jiang

An assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa and the senior study author.

Zhuoran Li

The first author of the study.

University of Iowa Health Care

The institution where the neuroscientists who conducted the study are based.

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What they’re saying

“The idea of manipulating neural activity in the hippocampus to help treat these types of conditions is appealing, but because the hippocampus lies so deep inside the brain, the challenge is how to engage these brain cells without using invasive implants or drugs that are not precisely targeted.”

— Jing Jiang, UI assistant professor of pediatrics

“This connectivity-informed strategy provides more precise targeting and modulation, which improves the effectiveness of stimulation effect, and may even help predict individual responses.”

— Jing Jiang, UI assistant professor of psychiatry and a member of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute

What’s next

The researchers plan to further explore the potential of this personalized neuromodulation approach to treat various neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions involving the hippocampus.

The takeaway

This study demonstrates a promising noninvasive and personalized method for safely and effectively targeting the hippocampus, a critical deep brain region, which could lead to new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.