Aaron Boes

Neurologist & Neuroscientist: Lesion Mapping | Lesion Network Mapping | Brain Stimulation

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

For a deeper dive into the insula structure and function here's a previously posted overview: https://t.co/3sYX2uYrl6

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Why is the insula the most interesting region in the brain?

Here are 6 things worth knowing. This is topic #3 for our lab's Friday 'Ode to Neuroanatomy' series.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

We recently saw two people with lesions of the right mid to posterior insula.

What do you guess – they lost all desire to enjoy which of these guilty pleasures:
A. gambling
B. sex
C. eating junk food
D. getting massages

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

The localization for these two lined up perfectly with a recent large-scale lesion study from Nick Trapp’s lab @NickTrapp13 showing reduced appetite and weight loss associated with right insula lesions.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Keep an eye out for closed loop neuromodulation work coming from Umair Hassan’s new lab at Stanford. Congrats Umair 🔥🔥

[Umair Hassan @neuro_engineer]

Super excited to share that I have received the NIMH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence career development grant 🚀. This news has been a long time coming. This recognition gives me deep confidence, not only in myself but also in the research I am pursuing.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Congrats Asmaa!

[Asmaa Mhanna, MD @Asmaa_Ebwini]

Nothing is more exciting than being among inspiring neurology leaders and talks.

So honored to be recognized at the AAN as a trainee scholarship recipient. @AANmember

Always grateful to you, @boeslab, for all the support you’ve given me as I take my early steps in research.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Why 100-Hz iTBS? This is actually the stimulation pattern discovered in the 1980s that is optimized LTP\neuroplasticity.

50-Hz was only used because TMS machines were not capable of delivering 100-Hz in 2005.

50-Hz was a placeholder until TMS technology improved, and it has.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

A new TMS protocol:

100-Hz intermittent theta burst TMS. Initial safety testing in press.

If we see triple the modulatory effects, as in rodents (Hanbing Lu) this will be a big step forward for TMS

Rodent: https://t.co/cBQxI5rGGf

Human:
https://t.co/nvKNz1UbTu

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Excellent new paper from Jiang lab demonstrating hippocampal modulation via inferior parietal lobe TMS.

[Jing Jiang @jingjiang_psy]

📢 Can noninvasive TMS reach & modulate the human hippocampus? 🧠⚡🧲 Multimodal evidence (TMS-iEEG + TMS-fMRI) from our new @NatureComms paper says YES: https://t.co/tDGpm8Tvil
Here’s what we did and why it matters. 👇
#TMS #iEEG #fMRI #Hippocampus #Memory #Emotion

[Mark Bowren @MarkBowrenJr]

I'm incredibly honored to share that I have been selected to receive one of the American Brain Foundation's Next Generation Research Grants, specifically the award in epilepsy!

[Shan Siddiqi @shansiddiqi.bsky.social @shansiddiqi]

The Third Brain Stimulation Subspecialty Summit (Mar 23-24, Boston) is open for registration!

By popular demand, this year we increased capacity to 400 attendees.

If you are involved in brain stimulation subspecialty training, you will want to be there.

https://t.co/seFMukK3QH

[Brain @Brain1878]

Tsang et al. reviewed 13 studies combining TMS with intracranial EEG in humans and non-human primates. They found that stimulation can rapidly alter neuronal activity and connectivity, with some effects persisting for extended periods. https://t.co/3cvW3JzJep

[Michael Fox @foxmdphd]

A recent paper in @NatureNeuro raised concerns about the lesion network mapping method. Our team of 16 coauthors analyzed >1000 lesions and 34 symptoms and found that "The methodological foundations of lesion network mapping remain sound" https://t.co/kkmpKFh3eE

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Agree! High spatial correlations of unthresholded network maps is pretty weak sauce. If statistical thresholds are used their only analysis falls apart.

[Michael Fox @foxmdphd]

Are connectome-based network mapping methods and the >200 papers that have used it invalid?

New paper out in @NatureNeuro says YES. https://t.co/U0OLZUSJWl

I have concerns about this new paper's methods and conclusions, but am biased. What do others think?

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

My first impression is that the article raises an important point. Kudos to the authors for that. A critique is they don't really define how high of a spatial correlation is too high, just a sweeping generalization that it must all be garbage. Good debates ahead I imagine

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

Is lesion network mapping fatally flawed?

New Nat. Neurosci article suggests high spatial correlation amongst lesion network maps invalidates the method.

https://t.co/QTRQXgoNCs

Methodological flaw may upend network mapping tool https://t.co/VdgvSh03Qe

[Daniel Corp @danieltcorp]

‘Mapping the neuroanatomy of dystonia using causal brain lesions’ – now out as a preprint! https://t.co/6vzmAGUAWz Huge thank you to @JJoutsa @foxmdphd!

We map the brain networks for the different types of dystonia, showing significant differences, somatotopy...and much more!!

[Asmaa Mhanna, MD @Asmaa_Ebwini]

Check out our poster on the role of lesion-derived networks in predicting post-stroke epilepsy in children @AmEpilepsySoc

Incredibly honored to receive the AES 2025 Young Investigator Award.

Grateful to my mentor @boeslab whose guidance and inspiration shape my work every day.

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

We'll have our Iowa Lesion Retreat tomorrow.

The topic this year:

'Neuropsychology of Personality'

We'll do a deep dive with lectures from luminaries on personality and how brain lesions influence personality and psychopathology.

Zoom link: https://t.co/5Ele0iEgAF

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

How do brain lesions affect personality?

The Iowa Lesion Retreat will be open to a zoom audience for the first time this year. Our topic this year:

The Neuropsychology of Personality

Join us!

Friday Oct, 17, 9 am - 5pm central time

https://t.co/5Ele0iEgAF

[Aaron Boes @boeslab]

How do brain lesions affect personality?

The Iowa Lesion Retreat will be open to a zoom audience for the first time this year. Our topic this year:

The Neuropsychology of Personality

Join us!

Friday Oct, 17, 9 am - 5pm central time

https://t.co/5Ele0iEgAF