Project description
Targeted brain stimulation for cervical dystonia treatment
Brain disorders are a leading cause of disability, placing a heavy burden on individuals and society. Current treatments are invasive, non-specific, and may result in harmful side effects. Non-invasive methods like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have emerged as alternatives, but their application across various disorders has been slow. This is due, in part, to the difficulty in pinpointing the exact areas of the brain that require stimulation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NetworkStim project will test whether rTMS can effectively treat cervical dystonia using lesion network mapping (LNM) to identify the optimal stimulation site. The study will use a randomised, sham-controlled, double-blind trial involving 30 patients to assess the therapeutic potential of rTMS.
Objective
Disorders of the brain are a major source of disability, and place an enormous burden on society. Currently, many first-line treatments
are non-specific, invasive, or cause side-effects. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation (rTMS), have been shown to offer a safe treatment alternative, with rTMS first clinically approved for major depression in 2007. Unfortunately since then, translation to other disorders has been slow, mainly due to the lack of reliable methods to identify where in the brain to stimulate. Lesion network mapping (LNM) is a method recently introduced to address this problem. LNM works by mapping the connections of causative brain lesions, converging upon a small number of commonly connected locations in the brain. LNM has localised abnormal networks in over 40 different disorders. However, as yet no study has tested whether these networks respond to treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study is to conduct a clinical trial testing whether rTMS delivered to a specific site in the somatosensory cortex identified in our previously published LNM study (Corp et al., 2019, Brain) results in treatment benefit for cervical dystonia patients. Cervical dystonia is an ideal test case, as changes in abnormal neck movement symptoms are easily measurable, and this somatosensory location is on the surface of the brain, so easily reachable with rTMS. We will employ a randomised, sham-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical trial, with 30 patients receiving 10 daily sessions of real and sham rTMS. Before and after the brain stimulation, we will collect clinical, behavioural, and physiological data to measure patients’ response to the intervention. Improvement in cervical dystonia symptoms after brain stimulation would serve as proof of the principle that LNM can effectively identify therapeutic targets, potentially unlocking safe and effective treatment protocols for a range of brain disorders.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00128 ROMA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.