Thai Awarded a MnDRIVE Research Fellowship in Neuromodulation for the 2nd Time!

Michelle Thai, graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, Is now a two-time awardee of the MnDRIVE Research Fellowship in Neuromodulation.  Thai received this award for her clinical research in neuromodulation--a developing transdisciplinary field focused on the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders with technology-based interventions.

This award will be used to fund Thai’s research during the 2020/2021 academic year.  Her project will be the basis of her dissertation and will explore the synergistic effects of combining mindful breathing training and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a type of noninvasive brain stimulation, to reduce depression symptoms and correct dysfunctional neural and physiological systems. This study will incorporate MRI, EEG, cortisol, and heart rate data as well as ratings of symptoms of depression, affect, rumination, and emotion regulation to investigate the mechanisms of treatment response.  Thai is mentored by Dr. Bonnie Klimes-Dougan and Dr. Kathryn Cullen.