In this research study, we are using examining how brain activity (electrical and blood flow) changes during tests of emotional processing and attention and memory in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. We are also using non-invasive brain stimulation to probe different parts of the brain and measuring brain activity (electrical and blood flow). This study includes healthy participants and researchers hope this will help us develop improved brain-based treatments for emotional difficulties like depression.
This study is a brain imaging and brain stimulation study that will test a new form of brain stimulation which uses sound. We plan to evaluate whether transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), will impact the way the brain communicates 10 healthy individuals. If successful, we will better understand how sound may change brain function.
This is a study to investigate if a device that temporarily changes brain activity (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTMS) might be used to change how healthy participants make decisions. This study involves 2 visits to MUSC that will each take between 2-3 hours. This study is not a treatment study, but it could help inform studies investigating treatment in the future. Participants in this study will be compensated for their time.
Sometimes, it is necessary to re-learn a previously learned movement behavior, for example, a bad posture during the golf drive or while playing the piano. Unlearning or relearning an intensively trained behavior is particularly important if the behavior is hampering recovery, for example, in chronic pain or after a stroke. With this study, we experimentally test the brain mechanisms that control the change of pre-existing stable memories of a motor skill with electroencephalography (EEG). We will then use non-invasive brain stimulation to modulate these brain mechanisms and test if it is possible to change the pre-existing motor memory and the learning of a new motor skill.