At the 20th congress organized by the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT), attended by scientists from many parts of the world, attention was drawn to the earthquake that deeply affected Turkey. While the congress organizers showed participants a special video they prepared about the earthquake, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also emphasized the devastating physical and psychological effects of the earthquake.
The research team, led by Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, attended the meeting where only researchers from Üsküdar Üniversitesi and NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi participated from Turkey, representing our country in two separate sessions titled “TMS in Neuropsychiatric Disorders - Novel Protocols and Applications” and “Neuromodulations Applications and Neurotechnology.”
At the congress, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan delivered a presentation titled “Theta Burst Stimulation as a Neuronodulation Tool.” In his presentation, Tarhan shared the results of these applications, including the use of TMS in psychiatry, neuromodulation techniques, a comparison of ECT - TMS, and current theta burst studies in brain stimulation with examples of TMS use in future treatment algorithms. At the congress, Tarhan conveyed his views on the earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 that occurred in the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş.
The biggest earthquake ever seen on Earth in Turkey…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, drawing attention to the earthquake disaster that affected 10 provinces and plunged all of Turkey into mourning at the congress he attended, said; “As you know, we experienced the biggest, most severe, and longest-lasting earthquake disaster in history, with a long fault line. It was the largest earthquake ever seen on Earth in Turkey. It was a huge catastrophe. It was almost like a small apocalypse. Unfortunately, our loss of life exceeded tens of thousands. In the area we saw, a 200-meter-wide fissure formed. Extraordinary support was provided by rescue teams from all over the world. Support came from many countries such as America, Singapore, and Japan. We received not only material but also moral assistance. We will overcome these difficulties we are experiencing in Turkey. Your gestures of goodwill are very important to us. Your moral values and the tremendous support and psychological assistance you have shown to the Turkish people are also important to us. As you know, crises have both an opportunity dimension and a threat dimension. As a psychiatrist, I am currently observing this. After this disaster, I am more hopeful about the future of the world because there are good people in our world, and when needed, they act from all corners of the globe. We observed this in such a situation. Kindness, goodness, and cooperation will make this world a more livable place. I believe the opportunity dimension lies in this direction.”
They prepared a video about the Maraş earthquake…
In the program held in the shadow of the painful earthquake experienced in Turkey, the organizers showed their solidarity with Turkey's sorrow with a video they prepared.
SBMT President Dr. Vicky Yamamoto and Chairman of the Board Dr. Babak Kateb showed the prepared video to all participants during the gala night.