Does brain connectivity in healthy adults influence the induction of spatial neglect by non-invasive brain stimulation?

This study is investigating how the brain's connections — specifically the right parietal cortex, the region responsible for processing space and attention — influence a person's response to a type of non-invasive brain stimulation called theta burst stimulation (TBS). TBS can temporarily reduce activity in a brain region, and researchers are using it to create a short-lived state mimicking spatial neglect (where people lose awareness of one side of space) to better understand this condition. Healthy right-handed adults aged 18–30 will undergo a brain MRI scan to map their brain connectivity before receiving TBS stimulation to the right parietal cortex. They will then complete attention tasks to measure the degree of any induced neglect. The goal is to understand whether individual differences in brain wiring predict how strongly the stimulation affects attention. You may be eligible if you are 18–30 years old, right-hand dominant, and are not taking any medications that affect the nervous system (such as antidepressants or anticonvulsants). People who cannot safely undergo brain stimulation or MRI, who have not given consent, or who are under the influence of alcohol at the time of testing cannot participate. This study is conducted at the University of South Australia and contributes to understanding the brain basis of neglect after stroke.