PhD defence Tingting Zhu

Keywords: Motor inhibition, Brain stimulation, Brain network dynamics, Brain imaging

"Probing and Modulating Motor Inhibition: Multimodal Brain Stimulation and Imaging Approaches to Study Cortico-Subcortical Network Dynamics of Inhibitory Control"

This thesis investigated the neural mechanisms underlying motor inhibition—the ability to stop or withhold actions—an essential function impaired in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. By combining invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation (Deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation) with electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and behavioral measures, it identified multi-level biomarkers of inhibitory control. The findings show that neurotransmitter-specific excitation–inhibition balance, cortical beta burst dynamics, and phase-dependent fronto-motor connectivity jointly shape reactive and proactive inhibition. In Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation normalized pathological beta bursts and improved reactive inhibition, though with trade-offs for proactive control. Non-invasive phase-specific stimulation demonstrated that synchronizing or desynchronizing fronto-motor networks can causally modulate large-scale brain communication associated with inhibitory performance. Together, this work provides mechanistic insights and translational biomarkers to guide personalized, network-targeted neuromodulation strategies for restoring motor inhibition in clinical populations.

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