Dr. Bashar Badran earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Medical University of South Carolina, and holds a dual-appointment in Neural Engineering at the City College NY and the U.S. Army Research Laboratories. Dr. Badran is an expert in invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, specifically transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to augment human performance. Recently, he has pioneered several non-invasive alternatives to conventional VNS and is the inventor of E-meditation, a neurostimulation-enhanced meditative practice. He is also the co-founder of Bodhi NeuroTech, an early stage technology company developing neurostimulation and BCI wearables for meditation, human performance, and psychiatric disorders. His research program revolves around championing novel, non-invasive techniques that modulate the central and peripheral nervous systems with outcomes focused on improving mental performance, accelerating post-stroke rehabilitation, and treatment of mood disorders. Link to video: https://youtu.be/auVE7bpOIuI (https://www.neuralengr.org/

1. The Many Wanderings
of the Vagus Nerve
Bashar Badran, Ph.D.
Transformative Technology Conference
November 10th, 2018

2. Disclosures
• Co-Founder, Bodhi NeuroTech (Charleston, SC)
• Inventors & IP Assignees of E-Meditation
• Consultant, eQuility LLC (Bellevue, WA)
• Primary or Sole Inventor on TMS/VNS/tDCS/Ultrasound Patents

3. Neurorehabilitation Neuropsychiatric Treatments
E-MeditationStimulation + fMRI
Research Overview
Using paired-VNS to enhance and
accelerate rehabilitation
treatment outcomes
Daily rTMS therapy to treat
major depression, mood
disorders, OCD, addictions, and
chronic pain
Administering TMS and VNS in
the fMRI scanner to image the
direct brain effects
tDCS to Enhance meditative state
(E-Meditation) as well as VNS to
enhance and accelerate learning
and threat detection

4. The Brain is an
Electrochemical
Organ
From Higgins and George,
Neuroscience for Clinicians, 2007, Lippincott

5. Forms of Neuromodulation
Magnetic Stimulation
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
• Low Field Magnetic Stimulation (LFMS)
Electrical Stimulation
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation
• Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
• Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
• Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS)
Ultrasound
• Transcranial Pulsed Ultrasound (TPU)
Electromagnetic Radiation
• Optogenetics
• Near-Infrared Stimulation
Physical Pressure
• Acupuncture, Acupressure
Meditation, Yoga, Hypnotism

6. The Vagus Nerve
Andreas Vesalius. De humani corporis fabrica (plate 49) Year: 1543

7. First Patient Implant in 1997
Prof. Jake Zabara
Inventor of VNS

8. Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Implantable Vagus
Nerve Stimulation
(VNS)
Pros:
• Treats intractable epilepsy
• Treats chronic recurrent depression
• Safe (>100,000 implanted in US)
Cons:
• Invasive
• Onset of action is 6months – 1 year
• 1/3 response rate in epilepsy
• Complications require another surgery
• Costly (>$50,000)

9. VNS is Effective in Epilepsy and Depression
Sackeim et al 2001, Neuropsyc
DeGiorgio et al 2000
20% of patients have > 75% reduction in seizures
33% of patients have > 50% reduction in depressive symptoms

10. It Takes A Village (62)Learn From Liz
Val-Laillet et al 2010
Ay et al 2008
VNS Rescues The Brain From StrokeVNS Reduces Body Fat
Promising Animal Models of VNS

11. Pairing VNS to Reorganize Cortical Maps
Porter et al 2012
M1 Plasticity, Rats - .8mA, 30Hz, 100µs
(VNS)(Stimulus)
Experience
Burst of
Neuromodulators
+
Targeted Plasticity
Specific &
Persistent
No Plasticity
(Doesn’t “stick”)
Generalized Response
(Non-Specific)

12. Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation
(taVNS)
Nerve Innervation of the Ear Ear Targets Basic Administration
We stimulate the Auricular Branch of the Vagus Nerve (ABVN). This method is
known as Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS)

13. taVNS Slows Heart Rate, Increases HRV,
Induces Calm
• Vagal modulation is parameter specific
• taVNS decreases HR, Increases HRV, feels “relaxing
ChangeinHR(BPM)

14. Does taVNS Activate
the Brain?
Concurrent taVNS/
fMRI to Investigate
Direct Brain Effects of
taVNS

15. taVNS Activates the Vagal Afferent Network
Sham Stimulation Active Stimulation
Badran et al, 2018. taVNS/fMRI; Brain Stimul

16. What’s in the taVNS Pipeline?
6 Big Projects in 2019
• taVNS-Paired Neurorehabilitation
(Badran/Jenkins)
• SmartStim Baby Bottle (Badran)
• PTSD therapy for Veterans
(Badran)
• Mild/Moderate Parkinson’s
(Badran/Hinson)
• Combined taVNS/tDCS E-
Meditation (Badran/Short)
• Take Home Digital Therapeutic
(eQuility)
Badran et al 2018

17. taVNS Digital Therapeutics
Platform
• Non-pharmacological mobile health
therapy - anywhere, anytime
• Indication: MDD, Mild-Moderate
Depression
• Combination Paired app-based
therapy + stimulation provides
effectiveness
• Closed loop monitoring
• Feedback
• Compliance and clinical
dashboard

18. E-Meditation – Sneak Preview
Badran et al (Oct 2016) - First to
publish on using stimulation to
augment meditative practice

19. Featured Article in The New Scientist
Edition: July 14, 2018

20. What’s in the E-Meditation Pipeline?
• E-Meditation Events
• Week-long E-Meditation Retreat w/ Shinzen Young (Ongoing Now)
• Compressed Single-Day retreat w/ Michael Taft (Kati Devaney/SF Dharma
Collective)
• 4 More Studies in 2019
• Single site E-Meditation Clinical Trial
• International E-Meditation Trial in Milan, IT
• Concurrent taVNS/tDCS E-Meditation Trial
• E-Meditation fMRI Study
• Consumer Product Soon
• Zendo Consumer E-Meditation Device Launch – 2019 (looking for funding)

21. Zendo E-Meditation System (Exhibiting @ Maker
Table)

22. Science is like a Symphony, Sometimes
You’re Lucky Enough to Be The Conductor
.
Science Advisors
Mark S. George
Jake Zabara
Truman Brown
Colleen Hanlon
Jeffrey Borckardt
Lisa McTeague
Donna Roberts
Study Support
Alan Badran
Logan Dowdle
Chloe Glusman
Nick LaBette
Caroline Summer
Philip Summer
Kate Beaver
Minnie Dobbins
Xingbao Li
Gonzalo Revuelta
E. Baron Short
Brittan Carter
Shayla Lester
William DeVries
Chris Austelle
Greg Sahlem
Oliver Mithoeffer
Brett Froeliger
Dorothea Jenkins
Visiting Scholars
Reza (Iran)
Jin Park (Korea)
Yojiro Umezaki
(Japan)
Thomas Adams
MUSC CGS
Dodie Weiss
Karla Locklear
Cynthia Wright
Keisha Vaughn
Paula Trackman
Perry Halushka
Friends & Family
Huda Nassori
Wadih Badran
Karam Badran
Thomas Pearson
Joe Dehope
Institutional Support
MUSC Brain Stimulation Lab
MUSC Neuroscience Institute
MUSC Center for Biomedical Imaging
MUSC FRD
Hotel California @ Burning Man
Bodhi NeuroTech, Inc
US Army Research Lab
City College Neural Engineering
U.S. Army Research
Alfred Yu
Jeffrey Hansberger
Jay Sanguinetti
Jean Vettel
Bill Evans
Valerie Rice
CCNY Neural
Engineering
Marom Bikson
Devin Adair
Robin Azzam

23. Feel Free to E-Mail Me:
BasharWBadran@gmail.com
Learn More About E-Meditation
www.E-Meditation.com
Thank You