Penghui Du

Randy Buckner, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Harvard
Project Title: Evaluating Personalized and Standard Targeting Strategies for TMS in Depression
Penghui Du photo

Project Summary: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a standard treatment for depression, with target location traditionally determined by empirical rules or group-level functional connectivity combined with individual structural MRI. However, emerging evidence highlights substantial inter-individual variability in functional brain organization, reminding that subject-specific brain maps may offer more precise stimulation targets.

At the same time, deriving individualized functional maps typically requires more extensive fMRI acquisition, raising important practical considerations for clinical implementation. This project aims to systematically compare TMS targeting strategies based on empirical rules, group-level connectivity, and individualized functional mapping, in order to determine whether personalized targeting provides meaningful improvements in treatment outcomes, and to what extent such potential benefits justify the additional effort in clinical settings.