In the current study, we will recruit individuals using addictive drugs (cocaine, cannabis, opioids, or methamphetamine) and non-drug use control individuals. The study participants will fill out questionnaires, consent, and donate samples (urine, saliva, nasal swab, and blood). These samples will be used to study the causes of unhealthy conditions during drug uses. Our goal is to prevent or treat the drug-associated unhealthy conditions (i.e., anxiety, memory impairment).

This research study aims to better understand how the brain and body change during physical or occupational therapy after a neurologic injury or condition. Adults who are already receiving outpatient neurorehabilitation will be invited to participate while they complete their regular therapy sessions. During therapy, participants will wear a lightweight cap that measures brain activity and will be video recorded so researchers can analyze movement patterns using computer software. These recordings do not change therapy activities and are for research purposes only. The study does not involve new treatments, medications, or procedures beyond standard care. Information collected may help researchers understand why recovery differs between individuals and improve future rehabilitation approaches.

Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy often experience problems with mood, thinking, or behavior that cannot be explained by seizure activity alone. This study will examine how cognitive and mood-related brain regions communicate in patients undergoing routine intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) seizure assessment in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While the clinical electrodes are in place, we will apply brief single magnetic pulses (single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, or spTMS) to the scalp in specific brain regions and record the brain's electrical response through the existing electrodes; no additional surgery is required. We will compare the responses to stimulation of an emotionally and cognitively relevant region (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) with a contrast site (primary motor cortex). We will also investigate whether momentary brain rhythms and seizure-related electrical activity affect responses propagation through the brain. The findings may help identify measurable brain signaling patterns ("biomarkers") to understand how cognitive-emotional brain networks work in people with epilepsy and inform future personalized non-invasive brain stimulation methods for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Newborns who are born premature or infants who suffer brain injury are at risk for motor problems. The common motor skills of reaching and grasping that infants have to learn can be weaker on one side of the body, depending on the site of the brain injury. These skills are routinely practiced with an occupational therapist once or twice a week, to help the infant strengthen these skills. A high intensity therapy program of constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) may be available for the infant, but it takes from 40-120 hours total treatment time for most infants to improve their motor skills.
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) stimulates a branch of a major nerve by the ear, called the vagus nerve, that may help improve your child's ability to learn motor skills. CIMT involves placing a soft mitt constraint on the stronger arm and hand while encouraging your child to use the weaker arm and hand during intensive therapy sessions. By using both CIMT and the nerve stimulation together, we hope your child's movement skills will improve more than with therapy alone.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of taVNS to improve motor skills when paired with the minimal amount of CIMT and whether a measure of the strength of the brain circuit to the arm and hand muscles can tell us how well a child may respond to this therapy.

The purpose of this study is to compare balance control during a single leg squat with and without a cognitive task between individuals with a history of concussion and individuals with a history of concussion and ankle sprain. Adults with a history of concussion, history of ankle sprain, history of both, or no history of ankle sprain or concussion will be enrolled. Participants will perform twelve trials of a single leg squat, half of which include listening to and recalling a series of words. This study will allow for possible avenues of improved evaluation and rehabilitation of individuals with a history of concussion and/or ankle sprain for healthcare professionals.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about late-onset epilepsy of unknown etiology (LOEU), which is defined as an onset of seizure activity in late life (age 55 or above) without a clear neurological cause. That is, many older adults will experience seizures due to neurological conditions such as stroke, brain injury, tumor, or infection. However, other individuals will also develop seizures with no identified cause.

Participation entails a single study visit lasting 2-3 hours including a blood draw, completion of standardized cognitive testing, and several questionnaires. The goals of the study include to examine blood markers that can help us to better understand the condition including dementia risk, and how these markers may impact the clinical presentation of the condition. No interventions/treatments are included with this study.

Quitting smoking is hard, and many Veterans struggle even with current treatments. This study is testing a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is already FDA-approved to help people stop smoking. We're comparing two types—standard and personalized—to see which works better. We aim to find the best option to help Veterans quit for good.

The purpose of this research study is to learn how Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which targets a part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus (STN), may affect thinking and memory in people with Parkinson's Disease (PD). We plan to include about 55 people with PD who have already had DBS surgery at MUSC's Clinical DBS Program.

As part of the study, participants will attend two visits after their DBS surgery. The first visit, which will last about three hours, includes going over the study information and consent form, collecting background information (demographics), and completing tests that measure thinking and memory (cognitive assessments) and speech. The second visit, also about three hours, will involve an MRI scan to look at how the brain's networks change when the DBS device is turned on and off. Participants have the option to combine visits 1 and 2. Participant's will also be invited to undergo an optional second scan. If participants consent, the second scan will be performed on a separate day than the first scan and therefore, there will be a total of 3 study visits.

These findings may help doctors and researchers make better decisions about which patients are most likely to benefit from DBS surgery and how to choose the best stimulation settings to reduce unwanted changes in thinking and memory.

Adolescence is a time of development in the brain and microbiome, including the microbiome present in the mouth called the oral microbiome. Alcohol use often begins and escalates during adolescence, which can cause changes to the oral microbiome leading to changes in the brain. The alcohol specific changes to the oral microbiome and the brain may make adolescents more vulnerable to a lifelong struggle with alcohol use disorder. This study will collect (1) saliva to assess the composition of the oral microbiome and (2) brain measurements using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across adolescents who may or may not use alcohol. Findings from this study will help form a more thorough understanding of the biological consequences of adolescent alcohol use, with the long-term goal of informing novel prevention and intervention efforts.

The aim of this study is to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to capture images of participants' brains and apply an image processing method called INSCAPE to assess brain states. This study will recruit participants who are scheduled to receive accelerated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Participation in this study involves two visits, each including a 30-minute MRI scan. The interval between each visit is about one week. Depressed participants will also complete mood assessments at various intervals while they are receiving accelerated TMS for depression.