Study location	Netherlands, Maastricht
Type	Summer Course, full-time
Nominal duration	1 week - four full day (2 ECTS)
Study language	English

Tuition fee	€799 per programme

Entry qualification	Postgraduate diploma (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English Please attach proof of English proficiency or clearly state in your motivation letter any previous English experience through education, upbringing or jobs. We pride ourselves on our interactive courses and we therefore want to ensure all students can participate to the full extent.

Overview

This summer school is an intensive four-day course on state-of-the-art multimodal applications of non-invasive brain stimulation with a particular focus on the experimental and simultaneous combination of transcranial magnetic and electric brain stimulation (TMS/TES) with neuroimaging tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will learn how to combine brain stimulation and brain imaging techniques in fundamental empirical brain research. Concrete applications, protocols, and experimental designs are discussed in the context of breakthrough literature from recent years. To this end, participants (MSc, PhD, Post-Doc level) will receive relevant literature prior to the course for preparing the online tutorial discussion and Q&A meetings with experts and pioneers in the field of brain stimulation from Maastricht University. After this theoretical online part of the course on day 1 and day2, participants are invited to join the renowned lab of Prof. Dr. Alexander Sack and his team at Maastricht University for small group hands-on practice sessions using both magnetic (TMS) and electric (tDCS, tACS) stimulation tools, including demonstrations of combined TMS/TES and fMRI/EEG applications. Participants have ample opportunity to interactively address any concerns or question they may have related to their own research.

Goals
 Understanding of the mechanisms of action of TMS and TES
 Understanding of the possible immediate and long-term applications of TMS/TES
 Understanding of experimental paradigms in TMS/TES
 Understanding of multimodal applications and challenges (TMS/TES + EEG/fMRI)
 Skills: TMS and TES equipment handling
 Skills: administration of non-invasive brain stimulation and its combination with EEG/fMRI

Course duration and dates
This is an intensive four-day course running from the 28th of June until the 1st of July, 2021.This course is planned to take place on-campus in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Due to COVID-19, we cannot guarantee that this scenario will be possible however. We will make a decision based on the latest government regulations on the 1st of May, 2021 and inform all applicants whether the course will take place on-campus or, need be, online.

ECTS
The number of credits earned after successfully concluding this course is the equivalent of 2 ECTS according to Maastricht University MSS guidelines. For further information see the MSS terms and conditions

Prerequisites
This course is intended for Master, PhD, and Post-doctoral candidates with basic knowledge of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. A refresher on the physics and physiology of these tools is included in the course. A basic understanding of neuroscience (what are neurons, action potentials, brain regions, brain networks) and neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG) is required. A basic understanding of psychology and cognitive neuroscience are preferred but not required, since this would help understand some of the research questions and methodologies discussed.

Core background fields:
- (cognitive) neuroscience
- Psychology
- Medicine/health science

Teaching methods
▪ Assignments ▪ Lectures ▪ Onderwijspoli’s ▪ Papers ▪ Patient contact ▪ PBL ▪ Presentations ▪ Research ▪ Skills ▪Trainings ▪ Work in subgroups ▪ Working Visits

Assessment methods
▪ Assignment ▪ Attendance ▪ Computer test ▪ Final paper ▪ Observation ▪ Oral exam ▪ Participation ▪ Portfolio ▪ Presentation ▪ Take home exam ▪ Written exam