Recent advances in neuromodulation have increasingly focused on developing reliable, neurophysiologically grounded strategies for cognitive enhancement and therapeutic intervention. Among these, non-invasive brain stimulation has emerged as a promising approach for modulating human cognition by influencing large-scale brain networks. In particular, focused ultrasound (FUS) and transcranial current stimulation (tCS) offer complementary opportunities for non-invasive modulation of deep and distributed neural circuits. Our previous work demonstrated the neuromodulatory potential of FUS across diverse conditions, including seizures, anesthesia, and essential tremor. Building on this foundation, our recent research has focused on understanding and modulating thalamocortical network dynamics underlying human cognition. 

A central question in this work concerns the role of thalamocortical interactions in conscious perception. Using MEG and fMRI during a visual color-fusion paradigm, we found converging evidence that conscious perception of illusory color is associated with sustained higher-order thalamocortical synchronization, distinct from non-conscious perceptual states. Higher-order—but not first-order—thalamocortical circuits showed selective engagement, accompanied by dynamic interactions between visual and default mode networks. To test the causal role of these networks, we applied non-invasive electrical stimulation targeting large-scale cortical systems. 

Moving beyond conventional node-based stimulation, we developed a network-level tACS approach targeting the central executive network (CEN) and default mode network (DMN), leveraging their intrinsic anti-correlated dynamics. Network-guided stimulation selectively  reshaped thalamocortical functional connectivity during conscious perception: medial prefrontal stimulation suppressed activity in higher-order thalamic and executive regions, whereas dorsolateral prefrontal stimulation enhanced connectivity within visual networks. These findings demonstrate that non-invasive neuromodulation can selectively reconfigure task-relevant thalamocortical dynamics at the network level, highlighting its translational potential for cognitive enhancement and neuropsychiatric intervention.