Editorial: Mindful Motion, Magnetic Modulation: Precision Neuromodulation Improves Mental Health

Masaru Tanaka^1*Zhenhong He²Shangfeng Han³Simone Battaglia^4*

• ¹Danube Neuroscience Research Laboratory, HUN-REN-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group, Hungarian Research Network, University of Szeged (HUN-REN-SZTE), Szeged, Hungary
• ²Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
• ³Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
• ⁴Universita degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Emotion regulation (ER) profoundly shapes our mental health and overall well-being, influencing daily decisions and social interactions [1; 2; 3; 4; 5 ; 6]. Effective ER strategies consistently correlate with better psychological and physical health outcomes, heightened life satisfaction, and improved resilience in the face of everyday stressors [7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12]. Conversely, insufficient or maladaptive ER can exacerbate mental health issues, impacting emotional balance and daily functioning, particularly in vulnerable populations like individuals with psychiatric disorders [7; 11; 13; 14; 15; 16]. Recent advances in noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), offer powerful tools to modulate neural activity, particularly within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) [17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23]. These techniques influence resting-state connectivity, neurotransmitter systems, and stress-related pathways, including cortisol regulation via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which plays a critical role in disorders such as PTSD [24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29]. Complementing circuit-based neuromodulation, plant-derived phytochemicals have emerged as multimodal agents capable of simultaneously targeting neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in major depressive disorder [30; 31; 32; 33; 34]. Additionally, CRISPR/Cas9 evidence indicates that loss of kynurenine aminotransferase activity markedly disrupts cerebral mitochondrial respiration and ATP production, underscoring dysregulated tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism as a key bioenergetic contributor to emotion-related disorders [35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41]. Structure-guided tuning of this endogenous metabolite hints at next-generation neurotherapeutics [42]. By influencing resting-state connectivity, neurotransmitter function, and deeper brain circuits, NIBS techniques are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential across psychiatric disorders, including depression, impulsivity, PTSD, insomnia, schizophrenia, and even developmental conditions like dyslexia [43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48].Current research gaps involve uncertainties regarding optimal and individualized brain stimulation targets for effectively modulating emotion regulation [49; 50; 51; 52; 53; 54]. Precise anatomical and functional connectivity between superficial cortical sites-especially within the prefrontal cortexand deeper emotional brain circuits remains insufficiently defined [55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 60]. Additionally, there is limited understanding of how variations in brain connectivity profiles influence individual responses to stimulation including the interplay between central and autonomic nervous system markers such as cardiac deceleration during cognitive control processes [61; 62; 63; 64; 65; 66]. Moreover, standardized methods integrating imaging-based modeling, automated optimization techniques, and systematic group-level analyses to refine target selection and stimulation parameters are lacking, hindering personalized treatments and limiting our ability to predict therapeutic outcomes across different mental health conditions [67; 68; 69; 70]. This editorial synthesizes how the four contributions in this Research Topic advance noninvasive brain-stimulation science by mapping cortical-subcortical connectivity, testing innovative stimulation modalities, and demonstrating behavioral benefits, thereby narrowing gaps in target selection, mechanistic understanding, and individualized intervention strategies for emotion-regulation enhancement while outlining future research priorities and translational opportunities.Using a within-subjects crossover design, Wang et