Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Munich – Augsburg (CNBS-MA)
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation – NIBS
- Transcranial direct current stimulation - tDCS
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation - TMS
- Multimodal imaging
’What fires together, wires together‘. Our brain contains more than 86 billion neurons, connected to each other in an enormous variety of ways. There are strong and weak connections, fast and slow ones – resulting in highly complex networks. The more often connections are activated, the stronger they become. While this enables us to learn new skills, form memories and adapt to the environment, it may also explain why mental health problems and psychiatric disorders can be difficult to treat.
Non-invasive brain stimulation can modulate connections between neurons. In recent years, techniques like tDCS and TMS have been used to study the brain and gain insight into psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, they are used in innovative ways to treat disorders like major depression. However, it remains unclear exactly how these therapeutic effects are achieved.
Our team at the Center for Non-invasive Brain Stimulation studies the clinical, behavioural, neurophysiological and molecular effects of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, with a focus on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). To that end, we use advanced multimodal imaging, including functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and interleaved TMS-MRI. Furthermore, we conduct and participate in large clinical trials to establish non-invasive brain stimulation as a treatment option for psychiatric patients and improve its application. Overall, our aim is to combine expertise from both basic research and clinical science to gain scientific insights that are translatable to every-day clinical care.
-
The DiSCoVeR Project: Examining the synergistic effects of a cognitive control videogame and self-administered non-invasive brain stimulation on alleviating depression (DiSCoVeR)
- Multicenter, double-blind, two-arm, placebo-controlled randomized trial (RCT) testing the feasibility and efficacy of an innovative, remotely-controlled treatment approach for major depression
- Sponsor: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Funded by ERA-NET NEURON (Network of European Funding for Neuroscience Research, European Commission), Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Ministry of Health (MOH) of Israel, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and State Education and Development Agency (VIAA) of Latvia
MR-informed, navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation with interleaved functional MR-imaging (MR-stim)
- The aim of this project is to establish a paradigm measuring the online modulation (functional MR) of prefrontal cortex regions involved in pathogenesis of depression to be used as predictor of treatment response to non-invasive brain stimulation
- Sponsor: LMU Klinikum
- Funded as part of the ERA-NET NEURON-funded The DiSCoVeR Project and FöFöLe PLUS program of LMU
Treatment of major depressive disorder with bilateral theta burst stimulation (TBS-D)
- Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled multicenter clinical trial testing the efficacy of TBS as a treatment approach for major depression.
- Sponsor: University of Tübingen
- Funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
- Registration: NCT04392947 (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Validation of a Single-Subject Treatment Outcome Predictor for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to Improve Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia (PREMISS)
- Multicenter study aimed at
- validating a single-subject treatment outcome predictor for high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to improve negative symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders,
- evaluating the efficacy of rTMS in reducing negative symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders in a naturalistic setting and
- evaluating whether an extension with intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is superior to an extension of rTMS in initial non-responders
- Funded by ERA PerMed (01KU1905B)
- Registration: DRKS00022214 (Deutsches Register klinischer Studien)
Treatment of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia with bilateral theta burst stimulation (TBS-AH)
- Multicentre, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled clinical trial. To assess the efficacy of bilateral continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) as a therapeutic intervention against auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
- Sponsor: University of Tübingen
- Funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- Registration: NCT02670291 (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Pathophysiology-specific development of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex – studies on functional MRT connectivity
- Sponsor: LMU Klinikum
- Part of the German Center for Brain Stimulation Research network – Workpackage 5
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for major depression (Depression DC)
- A prospective multicentre double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy and tolerability of repeated tDCS as treatment for major depression.
- Sponsor: LMU Klinikum
- Part of the German Center for Brain Stimulation Research network – Workpackage 7
- Registration: NCT02530164 (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Augmentation of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy with prefrontal direct current stimulation in major depression (PsychotherapyPlus)
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial to investigate if cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) when combined with prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is more efficacious than CBT with sham tDCS or CBT alone.
- Sponsor: Charite Berlin
- Part of the German Center for Brain Stimulation Research network – Workpackage 6
- Registration: NCT02633449 (ClinicalTrials.gov)
-
Efficacy and Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treating Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Valiengo LDCL, Goerigk S, Gordon PC, Padberg F, Serpa MH, Koebe S, Santos LAD, Lovera RAM, Carvalho JB, van de Bilt M, Lacerda ALT, Elkis H, Gattaz WF, Brunoni AR. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 1;77(2):121-129. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3199Clinical patterns differentially predict response to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and escitalopram in major depression: A machine learning analysis of the ELECT-TDCS study.
Kambeitz J, Goerigk S, Gattaz W, Falkai P, Benseñor IM, Lotufo PA, Bühner M, Koutsouleris N, Padberg F, Brunoni AR. J Affect Disord. 2020 Mar 15;265:460-467. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.118. Epub 2020 Jan 22Antidepressant effects of tDCS are associated with prefrontal gray matter volumes at baseline: Evidence from the ELECT-TDCS trial.
Bulubas L, Padberg F, Bueno PV, Duran F, Busatto G, Amaro E Jr, Benseñor IM, Lotufo PA, Goerigk S, Gattaz W, Keeser D, Brunoni AR. Brain Stimul. 2019 Sep-Oct;12(5):1197-1204. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.05.006. Epub 2019 May 8Testing assumptions on prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation: Comparison of electrode montages using multimodal fMRI.
Wörsching J, Padberg F, Goerigk S, Heinz I, Bauer C, Plewnia C, Hasan A, Ertl-Wagner B, Keeser D. Brain Stimul. 2018 Sep-Oct;11(5):998-1007. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2018.05.001. Epub 2018 May 4.Brain Stimul. 2018. PMID: 29759944Test-retest reliability of prefrontal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) effects on functional MRI connectivity in healthy subjects.
Wörsching J, Padberg F, Helbich K, Hasan A, Koch L, Goerigk S, Stoecklein S, Ertl-Wagner B, Keeser D.
Neuroimage. 2017 Jul 15;155:187-201. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.052. Epub 2017 Apr 24.Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Schizophrenia With Predominant Negative Symptoms: A Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Proof-of-Concept Study.
Palm U, Keeser D, Hasan A, Kupka MJ, Blautzik J, Sarubin N, Kaymakanova F, Unger I, Falkai P, Meindl T, Ertl-Wagner B, Padberg F. Schizophr Bull. 2016 Sep;42(5):1253-61. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbw041. Epub 2016 Apr 20Imaging transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex-correlation or causality in stimulation-mediated effects?
Wörsching J, Padberg F, Ertl-Wagner B, Kumpf U, Kirsch B, Keeser D. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Oct;69:333-56. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.001. Epub 2016 Aug 2Efficacy and safety of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for major depression: a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Levkovitz Y, Isserles M, Padberg F, Lisanby SH, Bystritsky A, Xia G, Tendler A, Daskalakis ZJ, Winston JL, Dannon P, Hafez HM, Reti IM, Morales OG, Schlaepfer TE, Hollander E, Berman JA, Husain MM, Sofer U, Stein A, Adler S, Deutsch L, Deutsch F, Roth Y, George MS, Zangen A. World Psychiatry. 2015 Feb;14(1):64-73. doi: 10.1002/wps.20199Prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation changes connectivity of resting-state networks during fMRI.
Keeser D, Meindl T, Bor J, Palm U, Pogarell O, Mulert C, Brunelin J, Möller HJ, Reiser M, Padberg F. J Neurosci. 2011 Oct 26;31(43):15284-93. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0542-11.2011Theta burst stimulation of the prefrontal cortex: safety and impact on cognition, mood, and resting electroencephalogram.
Grossheinrich N, Rau A, Pogarell O, Hennig-Fast K, Reinl M, Karch S, Dieler A, Leicht G, Mulert C, Sterr A, Padberg F. Biol Psychiatry. 2009 May 1;65(9):778-84. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.10.029. Epub 2008 Dec 13Further publications can be found here
-
For our studies, we are constantly recruiting patients with major depressive disorder (German language required). You can find information on studies for which we currently search participants here. Feel free to contact our study coordination office.
Für unsere Studien suchen wir kontinuierlich Patient*innen mit Depression. Hier können Sie weitere Informationen zu aktuellen Projekten finden. Kontaktieren Sie bei Interesse gerne unser Koordinations-Büro
-
Directors
Prof. Dr. Frank Padberg, Section of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU
Prof. Dr. Alkomiet Hasan, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of AugsburgClinical applications:
Head: Dr. Lucia Bulubas, Dr. Ulrike Kumpf (dep.)Coordination: Esther Dechantsreiter, M.Sc.
Clinical study coordination, data management, complex analysis:
Gerrit Burkhardt
Aldo Soldini
Stephan Goerigk, M.Sc. (Cooperation with Prof. Markus Bühner)Independent Research Group Multimodal Neuroimaging and Neuromodulation
Head: Dr. Daniel Keeser
Eva Mezger, M.Sc.
Kai-Yen Chang, M.Sc.
Yuki Mizutani-Tiebel, M.Sc.
Temmuz Karali -
- Malek Bajbouj, Charite Berlin
- Daphné Bavelier, University of Geneva
- Omer Bonne, Haddash Medical School, Hebrew University Jerusalem
- Andre Russowsky Brunoni, Universidade de São Paulo
- Lukas Frase, University of Freiburg
- Friedhelm Hummel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, Geneva
- Georg Kranz, The Hongkong Polytechnic University
- Berthold Langguth, University of Regensburg
- Mor Nahum, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Michael Nitsche, TU Dortmund
- Claus Normann, University of Freiburg
- Christian Plewnia, University of Tuebingen
- Elmars Rancans, Riga Stradins University
- Hartwig R. Siebner, Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen
- Axel Thielscher, Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen
- Christian Windischberger, University of Vienna
- Abraham Zangen, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev