Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41890041›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

Structural and Functional Connectivity Predict the Effects of Direct Brain Stimulation on Memory.

Qirui Zhang, Youssef Ezzyat, Ruoyi Cao, Sam S Javidi, Michael R Sperling, Michael J Kahana, Joseph I Tracy, Noa Herz

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Qirui ZhangFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3520-9336
Youssef EzzyatDepartment of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6235-6614
Ruoyi CaoFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3255-3112
Sam S JavidiFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6653-1854
Michael R SperlingFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0708-6006
Michael J KahanaDepartment of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8122-9525
Joseph I TracyFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5260-3290
Noa HerzFarber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University; Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0523-0855

Funding

Model Development for Prediction of Surgical Outcome in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients: Incorporation of the Correlation between Post-Surgical Reorganization Phenotypes and Pre-Surgical DataR01NS112816 · NINDS · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · PI TRACY, JOSEPH I. · 2019 to 2023
$2.3M
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS112816
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intracranial stimulation can enhance episodic memory in humans; however, the behavioral effects vary substantially across individuals and stimulation sites. Here, we investigated whether the network embedding of a stimulation target, defined by MRI-based normative structural and functional connectivity, accounts for variability in stimulation-linked memory enhancement. We analyzed data from 50 adults with medically refractory epilepsy who underwent intracranial EEG monitoring and completed a verbal delayed free-recall task during stimulation of left temporal cortex sites across 61 sessions (39 closed-loop; 22 random). On average, closed-loop stimulation delivered during classifier-detected low-encoding states increased recall rates, whereas random stimulation produced no reliable benefit. Diffusion tractography from a normative database showed that sites yielding greater memory enhancement were characterized by stronger structural coupling to a distributed fronto-temporo-parietal network. Greater structure-function congruence with a normative verbal-encoding activation network predicted larger closed-loop memory benefit (Spearman ρ = 0.58, P < 0.0001). Functional connectivity exhibited overlapping trends but did not yield robust regional associations after permutation correction. Multivariate Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling further identified stimulation mode, baseline memory, and a structural profile factor as independent predictors of memory enhancement, with no independent contribution of functional connectivity. These findings indicate that reliable stimulation-driven memory improvement depends not only on the timing of stimulation, but also on whether the stimulated target is structurally embedded within an encoding-relevant network scaffold.

Indexed as

Brain stimulationMemory enhancementStructural connectivity

Identifiers

PMID41890041
PMCPMC13015471

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.