Dr Laidi Kan, a research student of Prof. Georg Kranz, has been honoured with the Faculty Distinguished Thesis Award of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, PolyU. This award recognises the high quality of Dr Kan's PhD thesis, titled "Towards the Optimization of Therapeutic rTMS for Depression Utilizing Concurrent rTMS/fNIRS".
In this thesis, a novel concurrent setup utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy was designed and utilized to optimize the antidepressant efficacy of therapeutic brain stimulation. This thesis includes six studies, four of which have been published so far. The first study investigated the transdiagnostic effects of TMS targeting the prefrontal cortex. The second and third studies explored intra- and inter-individual factors influencing TMS-induced prefrontal hemodynamic changes. The final three studies assessed the predictive value of these changes for prefrontal plasticity in both healthy controls and patients with depression.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to Prof. Kranz, Dr Kan's Chief Supervisor, whose mentorship and support have been instrumental in this success.
Please join us in congratulating Dr Kan on this well-deserved recognition.
