Promote Brain Resilience for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Background: By the end of 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in over 84 million cases and nearly 2 million deaths. Continued confinement and restriction are expected to negatively affect mental health, however, some individuals are likely to show much less negative impact than others. The characterization and neurobiological determinants of brain resilience vs vulnerability during the pandemic should generate critical knowledge and open future avenues for individually tailored interventions. Objectives: 1. Identify the individual psychobiological determinants of resilience during COVID-19 pandemic. 2. Conduct a non-invasive brain stimulation intervention to modulate the expression of resilience brain networks. Methods: Barcelona Brain Health Initiative participants will be included, encompassing multiple assessments before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Machine learning techniques will be applied to define brain networks signature of resilience. Subsequently transcranial alternating stimulation will be used during a controlled trial intervention to promote the expression of brain resilience networks. Expected results: The present project should provide critical new knowledge on brain mechanisms underlying resilience and first evidences of the feasibility and impact of modulating brain resilience networks in terms of its effects on mental health of participants.