Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor: Kathryn Cullen, M.D.
Project: Multi-Method Identification of Neural Correlates of Symptom Improvement in Combined Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation-Mindful Breathing Treatment for Depressed Adolescents
Marvin Yan’s research will leverage brain imaging and neuromodulation technology to elucidate neurobiological correlates of suicide risk and depression. His project will identify patterns of neural activity that are associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms in those that received active vs. sham tDCS in addition to mindful breathing training. His research will test whether a novel data analytic technique that identifies causal connections in the brain provides unique information above and beyond traditional analytic approaches. His research work signifies an initial step towards refining the adaptation of causal discovery analysis for use with neuroimaging and neuromodulation data to make clinically-relevant decisions.The results will help clinicians determine which patients would benefit the most from tDCS as a treatment for depression, expediting the treatment process.
