Grant: Fellowhship - PA: Aging -Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Res. In.

Inhibitory control is an executive function that enables an individual to resist impulsive behaviours in favour of alternative and often more appropriate responses. This cognitive process is notably compromised in Parkinson's, and these deficits may exacerbate memory impairments and dementia severity in Alzheimer's. How inhibitory control is produced in the brain is not clear, however key findings from my previous work have identified connections between areas that form the start and the end of the inhibitory control pathway: the motor cortex and a right frontal area. I will use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a safe and promising non-invasive brain stimulation treatment without side effects. I will apply TMS to the inhibitory control pathway to strengthen inhibitory control, thereby laying the groundwork for future clinical application. Beginning with the segment of this pathway within the motor cortex, my first study will test the hypothesis that a particular movement-related signal is responsible for the execution of inhibitory control. I will use TMS to modify this signal to determine its function in the brain. Preliminary results show that this method can artificially produce inhibitory control. Drawing upon my previous work, I will then add as a second target the right frontal area that is thought to initiate inhibitory control processes and is impaired in Alzheimer's. Leveraging the idea that "neurons that fire together, wire together", this study will use precise timing of TMS on both brain areas of the pathway to induce lasting changes in the brain. Combining my previous work on the inhibitory control pathway with promising clinical applications of TMS, I will develop a protocol to strengthen an often-impaired cognitive function. Although this work is in healthy adults, future directions of this work will be a clinical trial to treat millions of patients suffering from deficits in inhibitory control that have to date been largely ignored.