NeuroTalk Salon#21：Real-time fMRI neurofeedback for PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) is a debilitating disorder with a high lifetime prevalence. In this talk I will introduce the real-time fMRI neurofeedback technique as well as our recent neurofeedback clinical trial that targeted the fear response in the amygdala, one of the better understood neural mechanisms of PTSD. I will share my thoughts on the findings and how this novel intervention could be further improved in terms of clinical applications.  

Dr. Zhiying Zhao’s interests are in studying the biomarkers of brain disorders and developing neurofeedback interventions for these disorders that therapeutically modulate the identified markers. After receiving his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 2019, he studied the efficacy of fMRI neurofeedback in alleviating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) at Yale University as a postdoctoral researcher. Dr. Zhao is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences at the University of Macau.