Por Gonçalo Cotovio (Champalimaud Research and Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation; NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa).
As lesões cerebrais que causam sintomas psiquiátricos oferecem uma visão única dos circuitos neurais subjacentes às doenças mentais...
Resumo: Brain lesions that cause psychiatric symptoms offer a unique, causal window into the neural circuits underlying mental illness. Circuitry Psychiatry applies this principle to guide and refine neuromodulation strategies. By mapping lesion locations and their functional connectivity, we can identify brain networks whose disruption induces symptoms such as depression, mania, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and whose modulation can relieve them. This talk will illustrate how lesion network mapping reveals convergence between lesion-derived circuits and effective neuromodulation targets, including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for depression and frontostriatal networks for OCD. Integrating these causal maps with clinical data supports a framework for precision psychiatry, where brain stimulation is informed by individual connectivity. Ultimately, Circuitry Psychiatry seeks to bridge clinical care and neuroscience, using causal evidence from the injured brain to design more targeted, effective, and humane neuromodulation treatments.
Nota biográfica: Gonçalo Cotovio completed his degree in Medicine at NOVA Medical School, in 2014. In 2015, he joined Champalimaud Foundation Neuropsychiatry Unit starting as a research trainee and completing his PhD in January 2023, after securing a PhD Scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. During this period, he received training in neuromodulation at Berenson Allen Center, Harvard Medical School. In 2020, he graduated in Epidemiology and Clinical Research from the Portugal Clinical Research Training Program, Harvard Medical School. In 2024, he completed is residency in Psychiatriy at Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental. He is now a full-time Psychiatrist and clinical researcher at Champalimaud Foundation Neuropsychiatry Unit. Over the years, Gonçalo has focused his work on the neurobiology of mood disorders and other neuropsychiatric conditions, trying to develop strategies for their study and treatment, using brain connectivity and neuromodulation, resulting in different publications in high impact journals over the last five years. He was awarded a 2023 BBRF Young Investigator Grant to continue his work in this research field. He is also an Assistant Professor of Neurosciences and Psychiatry at NOVA Medical School.