RG Bergmann

Lead:
Prof. Dr Til Ole Bergmann

Research Group Leader LIR, Deptuy Head of Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Mainz, Professor of Neurostimulation

Staff

Maximilian Lückel I Email: maximilian.lueckel@lir-mainz.de

Dr. Saman Seifpour I Email: saman.seifpour@lir-mainz.de

Research group description

The Neurostimulation group uses non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic, electrical, and ultrasound stimulation (TMS, tES, TUS) and combines these with electrophysiological (EEG) and imaging (fMRI) methods to investigate the function of neuronal oscillations in the regulation of information processing and neuronal plasticity. In particular, the aim is to better understand the neuronal basis of resilience and to identify the neuronal networks and oscillations that mediate and regulate the consolidation and reorganization of resilience-relevant memory content during wakefulness and sleep. The methodological focus of the group is on the establishment of innovative non-invasive neurostimulation procedures such as TUS as well as the simultaneous application of multimodal measurement and stimulation procedures (e.g. EEG-fMRI, TMS/TUS-EEG, TMS/TUS-fMRI) and the development of brain-state-dependent neurostimulation in real time (e.g. real-time EEG-triggered TMS/TUS).

Current research projects

Mechanismens for updating emotional memory traces (MEMU)
The sensorimotor mu rhythm as a cholinergic modulated pulse inhibition
The Brain Electrophysiological recording and STimulation (BEST) toolbox

External cooperation partners

Prof. Dr. Jan Born, University Tübingen, Germany
Dr. Elly Martin, University College London, United Kingdom
Dr. Keith Murphy, Stanford Medicine, USA
Prof. Dr. Kim Butts Pauly, Stanford Medicine, USA
Prof. Dr. Robrecht Raed, Ghent University, Belgium
Prof. Dr. Hartwig Siebner, University of Copenhagen, Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Axel Thielscher, University of Copenhagen, Netherlands
Steffen Tretbar, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT), St. Ingbert, Germany
Prof. Dr. Lennart Verhagen, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Niederlande
Prof. Dr. Christian Windischberger, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Prof. Dr. Ulf Ziemann, University Tübingen, Germany
Prof. Dr. Christoph Zrenner, University of Toronto, Kanada

Sponsorships

DFG (IADS)
EIC Pathfinder (CITRUS)
MWG (ACCESS)
Leibniz (NanoBrain)

Key Publications

Hassan U, Okyere P, Masouleh MA, Zrenner C, Ziemann U, Bergmann TO (2025) Pulsed inhibition of corticospinal excitability by the thalamocortical sleep spindle. Brain Stimul. 18(2):265–275. doi:10.1016/j.brs.2025.02.015

>> Link to Pubmed

Murphy KR, Nandi T, Kop B, Osada T, Lueckel M, N'Djin WA, Caulfield KA, Fomenko A, Siebner HR, Ugawa Y, Verhagen L, Bestmann S, Martin E, Butts Pauly K, Fouragnan E, Bergmann TO (2025) A practical guide to transcranial ultrasonic stimulation from the IFCN-endorsed ITRUSST consortium. Clin Neurophysiol. 171:192–226. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2025.01.004

>> Link to Pubmed

Woolgar A, Feredoes E, Assem M, Bassil Y, Bergmann TO, Beynel L, Burke M, Cash RFH, Comeau RM, Correia MM, Genc E, Hartwigsen G, Jackson JB, Kienle M, Kunz P, Leticevscaia O, Luber B, Lueckel M, Mathiesen C, Michael E, Numssen O, Oathes DJ, Rosen AC , Schuhmann T, Schuler AL, Scrivener CL, Thielscher A, Tik M, Todorov Y, Vasileiadi M, Windischberger C, Hermiller MS, Sack AT (Preprint). Concurrent TMS-fMRI: An international consensus and functional guide for current and future researchers. PsyArXiv Preprints. 2025 https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/9fyxb, accepted in Nature Protocols

>> Link to article

Kop BR, Shamli Oghli Y, Grippe TC, Nandi T, Lefkes J, Meijer SW, Farboud S, Engels M, Hamani M, Null M, Radetz A, Hassan U, Darmani G, Chetverikov A, den Ouden HEM, Bergmann TO, Chen R, Verhagen L (2024) Auditory confounds can drive online effects of transcranial ultrasonic stimulation in humans. eLife. 12:RP88762. doi:10.7554/eLife.88762

>> Link to article

Darmani G, Bergmann TO, Butts Pauly K, Caskey CF, de Lecea L, Fomenko A, Fouragnan E, Legon W, Murphy KR, Nandi T, Phipps MA, Pinton G, Ramezanpour H, Sallet J, Yaakub SN, Yoo SS, Chen R (2022) Non-invasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation for neuromodulation. Clin Neurophysiol. 133:174–187. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2021.12.010

>> Link to Pubmed

Hassan U, Pillen S, Zrenner C, Bergmann TO (2022) The Brain Electrophysiological recording & STimulation (BEST) toolbox. Brain Stimul. 15:109–115. doi:10.1016/j.brs.2021.11.017

>> Link to Pubmed

Pillen S, Knodel N, Hermle D, Hanke M, Ziemann U, Bergmann TO (2022) No robust online effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on corticospinal excitability. Brain Stimul. 15(5):1254–1268. doi:10.1016/j.brs.2022.08.024

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Bergmann TO, Varatheeswaran R, Hanlon CA, Madsen KH, Thielscher A, Siebner HR (2021) Concurrent TMS-fMRI for causal network perturbation and proof of target engagement. Neuroimage. 239:118093. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118093

>> Link to Pubmed

Bergmann TO, Hartwigsen G (2020) Inferring causality from noninvasive brain stimulation in cognitive neuroscience. J Cogn Neurosci. 1–29. doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01591

>> Link to Pubmed

Bergmann TO, Lieb A, Zrenner C, Ziemann U (2019) Pulsed facilitation of corticospinal excitability by the sensorimotor mu-alpha rhythm. J Neurosci. 39(50):10034–10043. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1730-19.2019

>> Link to Pubmed

Bergmann TO, Karabanov AN, Hartwigsen G, Thielscher A, Siebner HR (2016) Combining non-invasive transcranial brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiology: current approaches and future perspectives. Neuroimage. 140:4–19. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.02.012

>> Link to Pubmed