PhD defence Zhou Fang

Keywords: Motor inhibition, Beta oscillations, Closed loop brain stimulation, Noninvasive neuromodulation

"Timing The Brain’s Brakes: Closed-loop Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Modulates Beta Synchrony And Motor Inhibition"

Stopping an action, such as braking before running into a car, depends on communication between brain areas involved in inhibitory control. This thesis investigated the neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control and how this process can be influenced by non-invasive brain stimulation. Across five studies, the findings show that stopping performance depends on the timing of beta rhythms, and that these timing patterns can shift depending on whether stopping succeeds or fails. The thesis further tested a real-time stimulation approach that tracks ongoing beta rhythms and delivers stimulation either in sync with them or against them. Anti-phase beta transcranial alternating current stimulation suppressed beta synchrony and impaired motor inhibition, especially when delivered in brief pulses. Together, these findings support the development of personalized, non-invasive brain stimulation for disorders involving excessive beta activity, such as Parkinson’s disease.

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