Editorial: Advanced interventions for self-regulation and neuroplasticity

Advanced interventions for self-regulation and neuroplasticityNeuroplasticity-the brain's capacity to change in response to experience and perturbation-supports recovery after injury, the maintenance of cognitive function in aging, and adaptive regulation of emotion and sleep.At the same time, the translation of neuroplasticity research into clinical and scalable practice is evolving.Rather than relying on single, static interventions, the field increasingly tests combinatorial and personalized approaches that aim to (a) modulate neural and physiological state, and (b) convert that state into durable functional gains through training, feedback, and context-specific practice.This Research Topic, Advanced interventions for self-regulation and neuroplasticity, brings together five contributions that illustrate this shift across neuromodulation, behavioral intervention, digital therapeutics, and molecular/epigenetic strategies.Read as a set, the papers suggest that neuroplasticity can be treated as a modifiable readiness state that may be supported-briefly or over longer windows-by complementary interventions.A critical advancement in inducing this plastic state is the evolution of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS).While traditional methods like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) have revolutionized cortical modulation, they struggle to reach deep subcortical targets without affecting overlying tissue.In a Perspective article, Dunsford et al. introduce Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS) as a precision tool capable of overcoming this depth limitation.The authors highlight the potential of TUS to target deep-brain structures essential for self-regulation, such as the thalamus and amygdala, which govern sleep and emotion but are largely inaccessible to standard NIBS.Crucially, they propose a framework where TUS functions not as a standalone cure, but as a "primer" that induces a transient state of neuroplasticity.This priming prepares neural circuits to be more receptive to subsequent behavioral interventions, such as cognitive restructuring or mindfulness training, thereby bridging the gap between direct physiological modulation and psychological self-regulation.The concept of combining central modulation with peripheral behavioral training is developed further in the neurorehabilitation domain.Liu et al. review interventions for post-stroke movement disorders and argue for a "central-peripheral" synergistic model.This model integrates repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) that can modulate cortical excitability and readiness for reorganization, with constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) which supplies intensive,