IMPRS CoNI Summer School 2026

The human brain exhibits systematic patterns of structural similarity between regions that reflect coordinated development. I propose these patterns form a "biosocial envelope" a framework integrating genetic programs with social-environmental influences to shape individual brain development. Within this envelope, developmental trajectories unfold along three genetically-established organizational axes: spatial proximity, sensorimotor-transmodal hierarchy, and dual-origin architecture. Social and environmental factors modulate development along these same axes, creating individual variation within shared constraints. This framework offers new insights into neuroplasticity and psychiatric vulnerability. Transdiagnostic analyses reveal that diverse neuropsychiatric disorders produce co-alterations along these shared organizational axes, with different conditions following distinct routes through common brain architecture. These patterns identify spatio-temporal risk points and suggest why certain brain systems are preferentially vulnerable across conditions. Critically, structural similarity patterns serve as active measurements of biosocial interdependencies, enabling prediction of individual disease risk and treatment response. This positions the biosocial envelope as a plastic, context-dependent scaffold linking brain structure to function across health and disease.

In this presentation, I will investigate the evolution of the brain basis for the core language system (syntax) by comparing the human network with equivalent areas and connections in other primate species, especially baboons and chimpanzees. The results suggest a more gradual evolution than the prevailing theory suggests. Next, to verify that this evolution is truly continuous and not convergent, I will investigate the behavioural functions that these brain structures have evolved support. Here, the results suggest that this neural network evolved for social communication first, before subserving syntax in human evolution. As an outlook, ontogeny may mirror phylogeny, with prelinguistic children already possessing most of this network, possibly using it for social communication. This paves the way for later linguistic development as the brain network matures.

Understanding recovery from post-stroke language impairment requires moving beyond classical, region-based models toward a network-based framework that captures the dynamic reorganization of large-scale brain systems. Emerging evidence suggests that recovery is not solely supported by language-specific regions, but also critically depends on the integrity and adaptability of domain-general control networks, including the frontoparietal control network, dorsal attention network, and default mode network, that underpin flexible cognition and goal-directed behaviour. Developing mechanistic models of recovery therefore necessitates mapping how these domain-general systems interact with specialized language circuits to re-establish communicative function. In this talk I will highlight the brain network–based models of recovery that characterize recovery as a distributed, system-level process. By leveraging scalable, online language and cognitive testing platforms, we can now longitudinally assess multiple dimensions of cognition and communication at population scale. Paired with neuroimaging, these digital tools allow for comprehensive mapping of whole-brain functional networks and their contribution to language recovery trajectories. Together, these approaches promise to redefine our understanding of post-stroke plasticity, enabling the development of more predictive, personalized models of recovery that bridge fundamental neuroscience and clinical translation.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) offers powerful means to modulate neural activity and to enhance motor and cognitive functions safely and effectively. In this talk, I will provide an overview of current neuromodulatory approaches inspired by the brain’s orchestrated mode of operation, highlighting their potential to facilitate both motor and cognitive processes in healthy and clinical populations (for review Rektorova et al., 2025). Key techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) will be introduced, with particular emphasis on recent developments in non-invasive deep brain stimulation (nDBS). Among these, transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) has emerged as a promising approach to reach and modulate deep brain structures non-invasively (e.g., Wessel et al., 2023; Beanato et al., 2024; Vassiliadis et al., 2024, 2025). I will further discuss recent technological and methodological advances enabling orchestrated neuromodulation—the coordinated stimulation of distributed brain networks—to promote functional recovery and cognitive enhancement (e.g., Raffin et al., 2025; Wessel et al., 2024). The presentation will introduce the underlying principles and mechanisms of these approaches, outline their translational potential for rehabilitation, and discuss remaining challenges and future directions toward personalized, clinically applicable interventions. <

References

Beanato E*, Moon HJ*, Windel F, Vassiliadis P, Wessel MJ, Popa T, Pauline M, Neufeld E, De Falco E, Gauthier B, Steiner M, Blanke O& , Hummel FC& (2024). Noninvasive modulation of the hippocampal-entorhinal complex during spatial navigation in humans Science Advances Nov;10(44):eado4103. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado4103.
Raffin E, Bevilacqua M, Windel F, Menoud P, Salamanca-Giron RF, Feroldi S, Zandvliet SB, Ramdass N, Draaisma L, Vuilleumier P, Guggisberg AG, Bonvin C, Fleury L, Huxlin KR, Beanato E, Hummel FC (2025). Boosting Hemianopia Recovery: The Power of Interareal Cross-Frequency Brain Stimulation Brain in press
Rektorova I, Puplikova M, Fleury L, Simko P, Brabenec L, Hummel FC (2025). Non-invasive brain stimulation for treating cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative and brain lesion disorders Nature Reviews Neurology Sep 16. Online ahead of print doi: doi.org/10.1038/s41582-025-01137-z
Vassiliadis P, Beanato E, Wessel MJ, Hummel FC (2025). Temporal interference stimulation for deep brain neuromodulation in humans Nature Biomedical Engineering in press
Vassiliadis P, Beanato E, Popa T, Windel F, Morishita T, Neufeld E, Duque J, Derosiere G, Wessel MJ, Hummel FC (2024). Non-invasive stimulation of the human striatum disrupts reinforcement learning of motor skills Nature Human Behavior Aug;8(8):1581-1598. doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-01901-z.
Wessel MJ, Draaisma LR, Durand-Ruel M, Maceira-Elvira P, Moyne M, Turlan JL, Mühl A, Chauvigné L, Park CH, Koch PJ, Morishita T, Guggisberg A, Hummel FC (2024). Multi-focal stimulation of the cortico-cerebellar loop during the acquisition of a novel hand motor skill in chronic stroke survivors The Cerebellum Apr;23(2):341-354. doi: 10.1007/s12311-023-01526-4.
Wessel MJ*, Beanato E*, Popa T, Windel F, Vassiliadis P, Menoud P, Beliaeva V, Violante I, Abderrahmane H, Dzialecka P, Park CH, Maceira-Elvira P, Morishita T, Cassara A, Steiner M, Grossman N, Neufeld E, Hummel FC (2023). Noninvasive theta burst stimulation of the human striatum enhances striatal activity and motor skill learning Nature Neuroscience Nov;26(11):2005-2016. doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01457-7

abstract text

This talk will present recent evidence demonstrating that Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS) can induce transient, targeted neuroplastic changes in the human brain, with implications for both mechanistic research and therapeutic development. I will highlight TUS's precision in targeting deep brain structures, its value in probing neural circuits, and its emerging clinical potential in psychiatric disorders. Drawing on recent human studies; including investigations into decision-making and a novel clinical work in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); I will present evidence of TUS's effects on task-related neural changes, behaviour and symptoms demonstrating its promise as a transformative neuromodulation tool. I will also talk about the biosafety of TUS.

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