Augmentation Strategies Research Articles

A diffusion model multi-scale feature fusion network for imbalanced medical image classification research

Background and objectiveMedicine image classification are important methods of traditional medical image analysis, but the trainable data in medical image classification is highly imbalanced and the accuracy of medical image classification models is low. In view of the above two common problems in medical image classification. This study aims to: (i) effectively solve the problem of poor training effect caused by the imbalance of class imbalanced data sets. (ii) propose a network framework suitable for improving medical image classification results, which needs to be superior to existing methods. MethodsIn this paper, we put in the diffusion model multi-scale feature fusion network (DMSFF), which mainly uses the diffusion generation model to overcome imbalanced classes (DMOIC) on highly imbalanced medical image datasets. At the same time, it is processed according to the cropped image augmentation strategy through cropping (IASTC). Based on this, we use the new dataset to design a multi-scale feature fusion network (MSFF) that can fully utilize multiple hierarchical features. The DMSFF network can effectively solve the problems of small and imbalanced samples and low accuracy in medical image classification. ResultsWe evaluated the performance of the DMSFF network on highly imbalanced medical image classification datasets APTOS2019 and ISIC2018. Compared with other classification models, our proposed DMSFF network achieved significant improvements in classification accuracy and F1 score on two datasets, reaching 0.872, 0.731, and 0.906, 0.836, respectively. ConclusionsOur newly proposed DMSFF architecture outperforms existing methods on two datasets, and verifies the effectiveness of generative model inverse balance for imbalance class datasets and feature enhancement by multi-scale feature fusion. Further, the method can be applied to other class imbalanced data sets where the results will be improved.

Self-Supervised Representation Distribution Learning for Reliable Data Augmentation in Histopathology WSI Classification.

Multiple instance learning (MIL) based whole slide image (WSI) classification is often carried out on the representations of patches extracted from WSI with a pre-trained patch encoder. The performance of classification relies on both patch-level representation learning and MIL classifier training. Most MIL methods utilize a frozen model pre-trained on ImageNet or a model trained with self-supervised learning on histopathology image dataset to extract patch image representations and then fix these representations in the training of the MIL classifiers for efficiency consideration. However, the invariance of representations cannot meet the diversity requirement for training a robust MIL classifier, which has significantly limited the performance of the WSI classification. In this paper, we propose a Self-Supervised Representation Distribution Learning framework (SSRDL) for patch-level representation learning with an online representation sampling strategy (ORS) for both patch feature extraction and WSI-level data augmentation. The proposed method was evaluated on three datasets under three MIL frameworks. The experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed method achieves the best performance in histopathology image representation learning and data augmentation and outperforms state-of-the-art methods under different WSI classification frameworks. The code is available at https://github.com/lazytkm/SSRDL.

Machine Learning-Driven Evaluation of Pramipexole and Aripiprazole as Augmentation Therapies in Treatment-Resistant Depression

Background Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) presents a significant clinical challenge, often requiring augmentation strategies. Pramipexole and aripiprazole are two such agents used to augment antidepressant therapy. However, their comparative efficacy remains under-researched. Objective This case report aims to evaluate the efficacy of pramipexole compared to aripiprazole as augmentation therapy in treatment-resistant depression. Methods Two patients with TRD were treated with pramipexole or aripiprazole augmentation. Clinical assessments were conducted using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) before and after the treatment. Results Pramipexole showed greater efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms and improving overall functioning compared to aripiprazole. HDRS, CGI-S, and BDI scores decreased more significantly in the patient treated with pramipexole. Conclusion Pramipexole appears to be a more effective augmentation agent than aripiprazole in the treatment of TRD. These findings suggest pramipexole could be considered a preferred option for managing TRD.

SegmentAnyTree: A sensor and platform agnostic deep learning model for tree segmentation using laser scanning data

This study focuses on advancing individual tree crown (ITC) segmentation in lidar data, developing a sensor- and platform-agnostic deep learning model transferable across a spectrum of dense laser scanning datasets from drone (ULS), to terrestrial (TLS), and mobile (MLS) laser scanning data. In a field where transferability across different data characteristics has been a longstanding challenge, this research marks a step towards versatile, efficient, and comprehensive 3D forest scene analysis.Central to this study is model performance evaluation based on platform type (ULS vs. MLS) and data density. This involved five distinct scenarios, each integrating different combinations of input training data, including ULS, MLS, and their augmented versions through random subsampling, to assess the model's transferability to varying resolutions and efficacy across different canopy layers. The core of the model, inspired by the PointGroup architecture, is a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) with dedicated prediction heads for semantic and instance segmentation. The model underwent comprehensive validation on publicly available, machine learning-ready point cloud datasets. Additional analyses assessed model adaptability to different resolutions and performance across canopy layers.Our results reveal that point cloud random subsampling is an effective augmentation strategy and improves model performance and transferability. The model trained using the most aggressive augmentation, including point clouds as sparse as 10 points m−2, showed best performance and was found to be transferable to sparse lidar data and boosts detection and segmentation of codominant and dominated trees. Notably, the model showed consistent performance for point clouds with densities >50 points m−2 but exhibited a drop in performance at the sparsest level (10 points m−2), mainly due to increased omission rates. Benchmarking against current state-of-the-art methods revealed boosts of up to 20% in the detection rates, indicating the model's superior performance on multiple open benchmark datasets. Further, our experiments also set new performance baselines for the other public datasets. The comparison highlights the model's superior segmentation skill, mainly due to better detection and segmentation of understory trees below the canopy, with reduced computational demands compared to other recent methods.In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that it is indeed feasible to train a sensor-agnostic model that can handle diverse laser scanning data, going beyond current sensor-specific methodologies. Further, our study sets a new baseline for tree segmentation, especially in complex forest structures. By advancing the state-of-the-art in forest lidar analysis, our work also lays the foundation for future innovations in ecological modeling and forest management.

Few-shot Learning using Data Augmentation: A Literature Review

This paper examines few-shot learning, a machine-learning approach that allows models to generalize well with scarce labeled data. It overviews few-shot learning concepts and reviews data augmentation techniques tailored for this scenario. It evaluates these image and object recognition techniques and discusses their benefits and limitations. An experimental setup is described, with selected datasets and metrics to assess the augmentation strategies. Baseline models are analyzed, and the comparative results are presented, identifying key trends and areas for further research in few-shot learning.

Advanced strategies for mental augmentation with hyaluronic acid – a case series using the profile approach

Advanced strategies for mental augmentation with hyaluronic acid – a case series using the profile approach

Transformer-based medication recommendation with a multiple graph augmentation strategy

Medication recommendation (MR) is a promising task that benefits both patients and medical practitioners. However, the individual differences in patients and drug–drug interactions (DDIs) in medication combinations are two key factors that severely limit the personalization and safety of the present MR models. To alleviate the challenges mentioned above, this paper proposes a novel MR model named Trans-GAHNet, which innovatively leverages transformer-based representation learning and constructs multiple graphs for drug information augmentation. More specifically, the transformer network architecture is deployed to fully encode the sequential EHR data for effective patient representations, which addresses the cold start issue and enhances the interpretability of representation learning. Next, multiple graphs are employed to capture the co-occurrence and exclusiveness in drug pairs and to mitigate potential DDIs in drug combinations, thereby enhancing the personalization and safety of the predicted medication combinations. Finally, extensive experiments on real-world datasets are conducted to evaluate the proposed model, and the experimental results demonstrate that Trans-GAHNet outperforms the state-of-the-art baseline models on multiple metrics, with Jaccard, F1 and PRAUC scores of 0.5238, 0.6786 and 0.7795, respectively.

Learning Collective Variables with Synthetic Data Augmentation through Physics-Inspired Geodesic Interpolation.

In molecular dynamics simulations, rare events, such as protein folding, are typically studied using enhanced sampling techniques, most of which are based on the definition of a collective variable (CV) along which acceleration occurs. Obtaining an expressive CV is crucial, but often hindered by the lack of information about the particular event, e.g., the transition from unfolded to folded conformation. We propose a simulation-free data augmentation strategy using physics-inspired metrics to generate geodesic interpolations resembling protein folding transitions, thereby improving sampling efficiency without true transition state samples. This new data can be used to improve the accuracy of classifier-based methods. Alternatively, a regression-based learning scheme for CV models can be adopted by leveraging the interpolation progress parameter.

Multi-strategy adaptive data augmentation for Graph Neural Networks

While existing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have demonstrated exceptional performance in semi-supervised learning, they are criticized for not fully utilizing unlabeled data and graph structure, leading to over-fitting. Recently, data augmentation as a technique gaining significant attention recently for enhancing the generalization capabilities of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), is regarded as a promising solution to mitigate the issue of over-fitting. Nonetheless, existing studies focus on designing a simple augmentation strategy tailored to a specific dataset, without ensuring a diverse and consistent distribution of augmented graphs during the training process. Moreover, formulating different graph augmentation strategies for diverse datasets relies heavily on domain knowledge due to the distinct distributions inherent in various graphs. Designing a universal augmentation strategy which can adapt to different datasets remains a challenging endeavor. To resolve the thorny issue, we introduce an adaptive augmentation framework called MSA-AUG, which can adaptively integrate multiple heuristic strategies for GNNs. Specifically, in order to enhance the representation quality of GNNs, we first take advantage of various augmentation strategies from global, local and label perspectives. Then we integrate them into a set of candidate strategies, which is model-agnostic for any GNNs. Then, we construct a search space of candidate strategies and take each candidate-strategy with different selection weights and operation magnitudes. The learned parameters are leveraged to explore different selection weights and operation magnitudes for ensuring that the contribution of various graph augmentation strategies is well-adjusted. Finally, we employ a search algorithm based on density matching to dynamically explore the candidate strategies and take the best augmentation strategy on various datasets with different distributions for improving the generalization ability of GNNs. Extensive experiments on diverse benchmark datasets demonstrate that MSA-AUG can improve the performance of GNNs with varying structures of backbones.

WiSigPro: Transformer for elevating CSI-based human activity recognition through attention mechanisms

The utilization of Channel State Information (CSI) in Wi-Fi-based passive sensing has become popular due to its cost-effectiveness and broad applicability. This technology is highly valued for its ability to gather data without requiring active user interaction, making it versatile in various contexts. However, existing methods face significant challenges, including low sensing accuracy, high processing requirements, and system instability. To address these issues, we introduce the WiSigPro Transformer, an advanced CSI-based Wi-Fi passive sensing model specifically designed for Human Activity Recognition. This model employs multi-head attention mechanisms and positional encoding to effectively capture complex spatiotemporal patterns, thereby enhancing both robustness and accuracy. Our approach integrates advanced signal processing techniques to improve signal quality and feature extraction. These techniques include wavelet denoising to reduce noise, median filtering to smooth the signal, and Power Spectral Density analysis using Welch’s method to capture frequency domain features. Additionally, we use normalization to standardize amplitude and phase data, and feature engineering methods to extract comprehensive signal characteristics, such as skewness and kurtosis. To address data imbalance, we apply the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique and data augmentation strategies, ensuring balanced representation and improved model generalization. Through comprehensive simulations, the WiSigPro Transformer demonstrates superior performance across key metrics, including recognition accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Achieving an impressive 98% accuracy, it outperforms conventional neural networks such as CNN, RNN, BiLSTM, LSTM, and ABLSTM. These results underscore the transformative potential of the WiSigPro Transformer in Wi-Fi-based passive sensing and activity recognition applications, making it a powerful tool for accurately capturing and analyzing spatiotemporal data.

Evaluating large language models for health-related text classification tasks with public social media data.

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable success in natural language processing (NLP) tasks. This study aimed to evaluate their performances on social media-based health-related text classification tasks. We benchmarked 1 Support Vector Machine (SVM), 3 supervised pretrained language models (PLMs), and 2 LLMs-based classifiers across 6 text classification tasks. We developed 3 approaches for leveraging LLMs: employing LLMs as zero-shot classifiers, using LLMs as data annotators, and utilizing LLMs with few-shot examples for data augmentation. Across all tasks, the mean (SD) F1 score differences for RoBERTa, BERTweet, and SocBERT trained on human-annotated data were 0.24 (±0.10), 0.25 (±0.11), and 0.23 (±0.11), respectively, compared to those trained on the data annotated using GPT3.5, and were 0.16 (±0.07), 0.16 (±0.08), and 0.14 (±0.08) using GPT4, respectively. The GPT3.5 and GPT4 zero-shot classifiers outperformed SVMs in a single task and in 5 out of 6 tasks, respectively. When leveraging LLMs for data augmentation, the RoBERTa models trained on GPT4-augmented data demonstrated superior or comparable performance compared to those trained on human-annotated data alone. The results revealed that using LLM-annotated data only for training supervised classification models was ineffective. However, employing the LLM as a zero-shot classifier exhibited the potential to outperform traditional SVM models and achieved a higher recall than the advanced transformer-based model RoBERTa. Additionally, our results indicated that utilizing GPT3.5 for data augmentation could potentially harm model performance. In contrast, data augmentation with GPT4 demonstrated improved model performances, showcasing the potential of LLMs in reducing the need for extensive training data. By leveraging the data augmentation strategy, we can harness the power of LLMs to develop smaller, more effective domain-specific NLP models. Using LLM-annotated data without human guidance for training lightweight supervised classification models is an ineffective strategy. However, LLM, as a zero-shot classifier, shows promise in excluding false negatives and potentially reducing the human effort required for data annotation.

LLM-Assisted Data Augmentation for Chinese Dialogue-Level Dependency Parsing

Abstract Dialogue-level dependency parsing, despite its growing academic interest, often encounters underperformance issues due to resource shortages. A potential solution to this challenge is data augmentation. In recent years, large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong capabilities in generation, which can facilitate data augmentation greatly. In this study, we focus on Chinese dialogue-level dependency parsing, presenting three simple and effective strategies with LLM to augment the original training instances, namely word-level, syntax-level, and discourse-level augmentations, respectively. These strategies enable LLMs to either preserve or modify dependency structures, thereby assuring accuracy while increasing the diversity of instances at different levels. We conduct experiments on the benchmark dataset released by Jiang et al. (2023) to validate our approach. Results show that our method can greatly boost the parsing performance in various settings, particularly in dependencies among elementary discourse units. Lastly, we provide in-depth analysis to show the key points of our data augmentation strategies.

Implementation of a Small-Sized Mobile Robot with Road Detection, Sign Recognition, and Obstacle Avoidance

In this study, under the limited volume of 18 cm × 18 cm × 21 cm, a small-sized mobile robot is designed and implemented. It consists of a CPU, a GPU, a 2D LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and two fisheye cameras to let the robot have good computing processing and graphics processing capabilities. In addition, three functions of road detection, sign recognition, and obstacle avoidance are implemented on this small-sized robot. For road detection, we divide the captured image into four areas and use Intel NUC to perform road detection calculations. The proposed method can significantly reduce the system load and also has a high processing speed of 25 frames per second (fps). For sign recognition, we use the YOLOv4-tiny model and a data augmentation strategy to significantly improve the computing performance of this model. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the mean Average Precision (mAP) of the used model has increased by 52.14%. For obstacle avoidance, a 2D LiDAR-based method with a distance-based filtering mechanism is proposed. The distance-based filtering mechanism is proposed to filter important data points and assign appropriate weights, which can effectively reduce the computational complexity and improve the robot’s response speed to avoid obstacles. Some results and actual experiments illustrate that the proposed methods for these three functions can be effectively completed in the implemented small-sized robot.

Augmentation Samplers for Multinomial Probit Bayesian Additive Regression Trees

The multinomial probit (MNP) (Imai and van Dyk, 2005) framework is based on a multivariate Gaussian latent structure, allowing for natural extensions to multilevel modeling. Unlike multinomial logistic models, MNP does not assume independent alternatives. Kindo et al. (2016) proposed multinomial probit BART (MPBART) to accommodate Bayesian additive regression trees (BART) formulation in MNP. The posterior sampling algorithms for MNP and MPBART are collapsed Gibbs samplers. Because the collapsing augmentation strategy yields a geometric rate of convergence no greater than that of a standard Gibbs sampling step, it is recommended whenever computationally feasible (Liu, 1994a; Imai and van Dyk, 2005). While this strategy necessitates simple sampling steps and a reasonably fast converging Markov chain, the complexity of the stochastic search for posterior trees may undermine its benefit. We address this problem by sampling posterior trees conditional on the constrained parameter space and compare our proposals to that of Kindo et al. (2016), who sample posterior trees based on an augmented parameter space. We also compare to the approach by Sparapani et al. (2021) that specified the multinomial model in terms of conditional probabilities. In terms of MCMC convergence and posterior predictive accuracy, our proposals are comparable to the conditional probability approach and outperform the augmented tree sampling approach. We also show that the theoretical mixing rates of our proposals are guaranteed to be no greater than the augmented tree sampling approach. Appendices and codes for simulations and demonstrations are available online.

Enhanced skin cancer diagnosis using optimized CNN architecture and checkpoints for automated dermatological lesion classification

Skin cancer stands as one of the foremost challenges in oncology, with its early detection being crucial for successful treatment outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods depend on dermatologist expertise, creating a need for more reliable, automated tools. This study explores deep learning, particularly Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of skin cancer diagnosis. Leveraging the HAM10000 dataset, a comprehensive collection of dermatoscopic images encompassing a diverse range of skin lesions, this study introduces a sophisticated CNN model tailored for the nuanced task of skin lesion classification. The model’s architecture is intricately designed with multiple convolutional, pooling, and dense layers, aimed at capturing the complex visual features of skin lesions. To address the challenge of class imbalance within the dataset, an innovative data augmentation strategy is employed, ensuring a balanced representation of each lesion category during training. Furthermore, this study introduces a CNN model with optimized layer configuration and data augmentation, significantly boosting diagnostic precision in skin cancer detection. The model’s learning process is optimized using the Adam optimizer, with parameters fine-tuned over 50 epochs and a batch size of 128 to enhance the model’s ability to discern subtle patterns in the image data. A Model Checkpoint callback ensures the preservation of the best model iteration for future use. The proposed model demonstrates an accuracy of 97.78% with a notable precision of 97.9%, recall of 97.9%, and an F2 score of 97.8%, underscoring its potential as a robust tool in the early detection and classification of skin cancer, thereby supporting clinical decision-making and contributing to improved patient outcomes in dermatology.

IGU-Aug: Information-guided unsupervised augmentation and pixel-wise contrastive learning for medical image analysis.

Contrastive learning (CL) is a form of self-supervised learning and has been widely used for various tasks. Different from widely studied instance-level contrastive learning, pixel-wise contrastive learning mainly helps with pixel-wise dense prediction tasks. The counter-part to an instance in instance-level CL is a pixel, along with its neighboring context, in pixel-wise CL. Aiming to build better feature representation, there is a vast literature about designing instance augmentation strategies for instance-level CL; but there is little similar work on pixel augmentation for pixel-wise CL with a pixel granularity. In this paper, we attempt to bridge this gap. We first classify a pixel into three categories, namely low-, medium-, and high-informative, based on the information quantity the pixel contains. We then adaptively design separate augmentation strategies for each category in terms of augmentation intensity and sampling ratio. Extensive experiments validate that our information-guided pixel augmentation strategy succeeds in encoding more discriminative representations and surpassing other competitive approaches in unsupervised local feature matching. Furthermore, our pretrained model improves the performance of both one-shot and fully supervised models. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose a pixel augmentation method with a pixel granularity for enhancing unsupervised pixel-wise contrastive learning. Code is available at https: //github.com/Curli-quan/IGU-Aug.

A Geometric Approach to Textual Augmented Data Filtering

Abstract Data augmentation is necessary if the amount of training data is insufficient for supervised learning. For natural language processing tasks, obtaining good quality augmented data is not easy. This paper introduces GATFilter, a novel method for filtering out inappropriate augmented textual data for text classification (TC). Utilizing geometric concepts, more specifically the principle component and convex hull analyses, this method adeptly preserves the semantic integrity of words within augmented texts. GATFilter is versatile and applicable across various types of textual augmentation methods. Experiments using several datasets and augmentation strategies showed that classifiers trained with GATFilter-filtered augmented data sets showed improvements in key performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. The method’s efficacy is notably influenced by the quality of the underlying augmentation techniques, indicating its potential to complement and refine various text augmentation strategies. Furthermore, our analysis showed that GATFilter is particularly able to amplify the effectiveness of methods that generate good quality augmented data. GATFilter is openly available online on Github1, and as a Python package2.

EEG-based sensorimotor neurofeedback for motor neurorehabilitation in children and adults: a scoping review

ObjectiveTherapeutic interventions for children and young people with dystonia and dystonic/dyskinetic cerebral palsy are limited. EEG-based neurofeedback is emerging as a neurorehabilitation tool. This scoping review maps research investigating EEG-based sensorimotor neurofeedback in adults and children with neurological motor impairments, including augmentative strategies. MethodsMEDLINE, CINAHL and Web of Science databases were searched up to 2023 for relevant studies. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by at least two reviewers. ResultsOf 4380 identified studies, 133 were included, only three enrolling children. The most common diagnosis was adult-onset stroke (77%). Paradigms mostly involved upper limb motor imagery or motor attempt. Common neurofeedback modes included visual, haptic and/or electrical stimulation. EEG parameters varied widely and were often incompletely described. Two studies applied augmentative strategies. Outcome measures varied widely and included classification accuracy of the Brain-Computer Interface, degree of enhancement of mu rhythm modulation or other neurophysiological parameters, and clinical/motor outcome scores. Few studies investigated whether functional outcomes related specifically to the EEG-based neurofeedback. ConclusionsThere is limited evidence exploring EEG-based sensorimotor neurofeedback in individuals with movement disorders, especially in children. Further clarity of neurophysiological parameters is required to develop optimal paradigms for evaluating sensorimotor neurofeedback. SignificanceThe expanding field of sensorimotor neurofeedback offers exciting potential as a non-invasive therapy. However, this needs to be balanced by robust study design and detailed methodological reporting to ensure reproducibility and validation that clinical improvements relate to induced neurophysiological changes.

SkinNet-14: a deep learning framework for accurate skin cancer classification using low-resolution dermoscopy images with optimized training time

The increasing incidence of skin cancer necessitates advancements in early detection methods, where deep learning can be beneficial. This study introduces SkinNet-14, a novel deep learning model designed to classify skin cancer types using low-resolution dermoscopy images. Unlike existing models that require high-resolution images and extensive training times, SkinNet-14 leverages a modified compact convolutional transformer (CCT) architecture to effectively process 32 × 32 pixel images, significantly reducing the computational load and training duration. The framework employs several image preprocessing and augmentation strategies to enhance input image quality and balance the dataset to address class imbalances in medical datasets. The model was tested on three distinct datasets—HAM10000, ISIC and PAD—demonstrating high performance with accuracies of 97.85%, 96.00% and 98.14%, respectively, while significantly reducing the training time to 2–8 s per epoch. Compared to traditional transfer learning models, SkinNet-14 not only improves accuracy but also ensures stability even with smaller training sets. This research addresses a critical gap in automated skin cancer detection, specifically in contexts with limited resources, and highlights the capabilities of transformer-based models that are efficient in medical image analysis.

Targeted memory reactivation to augment treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder with traumatic memories at its core. Post-treatment sleep may offer a unique time window to increase therapeutic efficacy through consolidation of therapeutically modified traumatic memories. Targeted memory reactivation (TMR) enhances memory consolidation by presenting reminder cues (e.g., sounds associated with a memory) during sleep. Here, we applied TMR in PTSD patients to strengthen therapeutic memories during sleep after one treatment session with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). PTSD patients received either slow oscillation (SO) phase-targeted TMR, using modeling-based closed-loop neurostimulation (M-CLNS) with EMDR clicks as a reactivation cue (n= 17), or sham stimulation (n= 16). Effects of TMR on sleep were assessed through high-density polysomnography. Effects on treatment outcome were assessed through subjective, autonomic, and fMRI responses to script-driven imagery (SDI) of the targeted traumatic memory and overall PTSD symptom level. Compared to sham stimulation, TMR led to stimulus-locked increases in SO and spindle dynamics, which correlated positively with PTSD symptom reduction in the TMR group. Given the role of SOs and spindles in memory consolidation, these findings suggest that TMR may have strengthened the consolidation of the EMDR-treatment memory. Clinically, TMR vs. sham stimulation resulted in a larger reduction of avoidance level during SDI. TMR did not disturb sleep or trigger nightmares. Together, these data provide first proof of principle that TMR may be a safe and viable future treatment augmentation strategy for PTSD. The required follow-up studies may implement multi-night TMR or TMR during REM sleep to further establish the clinical effect of TMR for traumatic memories.