Roy Hamilton
Stimulating Conversations: Using Noninvasive Neuromodulation Approaches to Characterize the Language System and Treat Aphasia
Speaker: Roy Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN, FANA
In this talk, Dr. Roy H. Hamilton will discuss the use of noninvasive brain stimulation as a tool for both characterizing and treating aphasia, with a particular focus on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The lecture will highlight the dual role of neuromodulation techniques like TMS in translational cognitive neuroscience, serving both as a therapeutic intervention and as an experimental probe of brain plasticity. While multiple brain regions have been targeted with TMS for the treatment of aphasia, this talk will focus primarily on converging evidence demonstrating that inhibitory TMS applied to the right inferior frontal gyrus, particularly the pars triangularis, can improve language performance in individuals with chronic post stroke aphasia. Dr. Hamilton will then discuss emerging approaches aimed at better understanding the factors that predict individual responsiveness to neuromodulation interventions, including insights from network neuroscience and machine learning–based models. He will conclude by addressing ongoing challenges and future opportunities for moving noninvasive brain stimulation for aphasia from experimental promise toward reliable, personalized clinical application.
About Roy Hamilton
Roy Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN, FANA, is a professor in the departments of Neurology with secondary appointments in Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania. He directs the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation (LCNS) and Brain Stimulation, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation (brainSTIM) Center. A leading expert in noninvasive neuromodulation, he uses brain stimulation, neuroimaging, and behavioral methods to study functional plasticity in healthy and injured brains. His research principally focuses on improving aphasia and other cognitive deficits associated with neurological disorders. Continuously funded by US federal grants and foundation awards since 2008, Dr. Hamilton has received numerous accolades for excellence in research, education, and civic engagement, including the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology, Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award for bridging basic science and clinical education, American Neurological Association Audrey Penn Lectureship, and the American Academy of Neurology H. Houston Merritt Lectureship Award for excellence in clinically relevant research and education.