Flavia Venetucci Gouveia

At A Glance

• Leads a translational neuroscience program integrating advanced neuroimaging with precision neuromodulation to study pediatric brain disorders.

• Applies ultra-high-field MRI, MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) to map and modulate brain circuits in preclinical models.
• Pioneered Canada’s first preclinical 11.7T MRI-guided focused ultrasound platform at the Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe).
• Focuses on identifying imaging and circuit-level biomarkers that predict treatment response in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions.
• Committed to interdisciplinary training and mentorship, with a strong emphasis on inclusive, collaborative research environments.

Short Bio

Dr. Flavia Venetucci Gouveia is a Scientist in the Translational Medicine Program and Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe) at the Hospital for Sick Children, and an Assistant Professor, Affiliated Scientist in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. She leads a translational neuroscience research program focused on developing precision neuromodulation and neuroimaging approaches to understand and treat pediatric brain disorders. Her work integrates ultra-high-field MRI, deep brain stimulation (DBS), and MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to map dysfunctional circuits and evaluate therapeutic interventions in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. Dr. Gouveia’s research has helped establish Canada’s first preclinical MRgFUS system at 11.7T and has been recognized with distinctions such as the Brain Canada Rising Star in Autism Research Award.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Gouveia’s research program investigates how brain circuits develop, adapt, and malfunction in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, with the goal of advancing precision neuromodulation therapies for children. Her lab integrates ultra-high-resolution MRI, deep brain stimulation, and MR-guided focused ultrasound with molecular and histological analyses to map the structural and network-level mechanisms that drive behaviours such as aggression, anxiety, and self-injury. Using translational rodent models and the unique neuromodulation infrastructure established at MICe, her team identifies how specific circuits contribute to pathological states, determines how targeted modulation restores healthy function, and defines biomarkers that link cellular pathology to circuit dynamics and treatment response.

Collectively, Dr. Gouveia’s work operates at the intersection of imaging technology, systems neuroscience, and therapeutic discovery. By integrating multiscale readouts, from cellular histopathology to whole-brain network mapping, her research aims to build a mechanistic foundation for individualized, circuit-guided interventions. This approach aspires to transform care for children with severe neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions by enabling safer, more precise, and more effective neuromodulation therapies.

Recent Publications

Gouveia FV, Elias GJB, Wong EHY, Yang A, Beyn M, Mesich A, Omere U, Iskin SA, Bai Y, Hu CK, Boutet A, Lozano AM, Germann J.A systematic review, meta-analysis, and network-based analysis of comparative efficacy of neuromodulation modalities for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nature Mental Health, accepted for publication. 2025. Preprint at Research Square. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994731/v1

Gouveia FV, Germann J, Ibrahim GM. Brain network alterations in fragile X syndrome. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2025 May;172:106101. doi: 0.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106101

Morais RMCB, Gouveia FV, Sato F, Germann J, Pinheiro S, Barros N, Kuroki MA, Fongaro C, Zaffarani L, da Rocha MM, Pagano RL, Fonoff ET, Brentani HP, Martinez RCR. Multimodal associations between brain morphology, immune-inflammatory markers, spatial transcriptomics, and behavioural symptoms in autism spectrum disorder. Brain Behav Immun. 2025 Oct;129:1000-1013. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.07.021

Matin R, Zhang K, Ibrahim GM, Gouveia FV. Systematic Review of Experimental Deep Brain Stimulation in Rodent Models of Epilepsy. Neuromodulation. 2025 Apr;28(3):401-413. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2024.11.001.

Zhang K, Ibrahim GM, Venetucci Gouveia F. Molecular Pathways, Neural Circuits and Emerging Therapies for Self-Injurious Behaviour. Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Feb 24;26(5):1938. doi: 10.3390/ijms26051938

Matin R, Zhang K, Gouveia FV, Ibrahim GM. Effects of centromedian thalamic deep brain stimulation on striatal glutamate and GABA in a rodent model of epilepsy. Exp Neurol. 2025 Nov;393:115394. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2025.115394

Lovo E, Venetucci Gouveia F, Germann J, Omar Contreras W, Lopes Alho EJ, Cruz C, Bermúdez-Guzmán L. Individualised connectomic-guided radiosurgical thalamotomy for chronic pain. Br J Neurosurg. 2025 Sep 8:1-11. doi: 10.1080/02688697.2025.2557210

Germann J, Gouveia FV, Chakravarty MM, Devenyi GA.Longitudinal deformation-based morphometry pipeline to study neuroanatomical differences in structural MRI based on SyN unbiased templates. Aperture Neuro. 2025 April 14, Vol. 5. doi: 10.52294/001c.133510

Germann J, Amaral RSC, Tomaszczyk J, Yamamoto K, Elias GJB, Gouveia FV, Vasilevskaya A, Taghdiri F, Devenyi GA, Sankar T, Leoutsakos JM, Munro CA, Rosenberg PB, Lyketsos CG, Oh ES, Anderson WS, Mari Z, Fosdick L, Drake KE, Targum SD, Pendergrass JC, Burke A, Salloway S, Asaad WF, Ponce FA, Sabbagh M, Wolk DA, Baltuch G, Okun MS, Foote KD, Giacobbe P, McAndrews MP, Tang-Wai DF, Smith GS, Tartaglia MC, Chakravarty MM, Lozano AM; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Biomarker changes associated with fornix deep brain stimulation in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Jun;21(6):e70394. doi: 10.1002/alz.70394

Mithani K, Zhang K, Yan H, Elkaim L, Gariscsak PJ, Suresh H, Gouveia FV, Fasano A, Gorodetsky C, Ibrahim GM. Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Comorbid Self-injurious Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Individual Patient Data. Neuromodulation. 2025 Apr;28(3):373-379. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2024.07.009

Gorodetsky C, Mithani K, Breitbart S, Yan H, Zhang K, Gouveia FV, Warsi N, Suresh H, Wong SM, Huber J, Kerr EN, Kulkarni AV, Taylor MJ, P Hagopian L, Fasano A, Ibrahim GM. Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens for Severe Self-Injurious Behavior in Children: A Phase I Pilot Trial. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 15;97(12):1116-1126. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.12.001

Antunes GF, Gouveia FV, Kuroki MA, Oliveira Martins D, Pagano RL, Pinheiro Campos AC, Martinez RCR. Neuroinflammation in the prefrontal-amygdala-hippocampus network is associated with maladaptive avoidance behaviour. Heliyon. 2024 Apr 26;10(9):e30427. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30427

Gouveia FV, Warsi NM, Suresh H, Matin R, Ibrahim GM. Neurostimulation treatments for epilepsy: Deep brain stimulation, responsive neurostimulation and vagus nerve stimulation. Neurotherapeutics. 2024 Apr;21(3):e00308. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2023.e00308

Zhang KK, Matin R, Gorodetsky C, Ibrahim GM, Gouveia FV. Systematic review of rodent studies of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of neurological, developmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Apr 11;14(1):186. doi:10.1038/s41398-023-02727-5

Mithani K, Richards OL, Ebden M, Malik N, Greuter L, Suresh H, Niazi F, Gouveia FV, Widjaja E, Weiss S, Donner E, Otsubo H, Ochi A, Jain P, Yau I, Kerr EN, Rutka JT, Drake JM, Weil AG, Ibrahim GM. Intraoperative changes in large-scale thalamic circuitry following laser ablation of hypothalamic hamartomas. Neuroimage Clin. 2024;42:103613. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103613

Ebden M, Elkaim LM, Breitbart S, Yan H, Warsi N, Huynh M, Mithani K, Venetucci Gouveia F, Fasano A, Ibrahim GM, Gorodetsky C. Chronic Pallidal Local Field Potentials Are Associated With Dystonic Symptoms in Children. Neuromodulation. 2024 Apr;27(3):551-556. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.08.003

Suresh H, Morgan BR, Mithani K, Warsi NM, Yan H, Germann J, Boutet A, Loh A, Gouveia FV, Young J, Quon J, Morgado F, Lerch J, Lozano AM, Al-Fatly B, Kühn AA, Laughlin S, Dewan MC, Mabbott D, Gorodetsky C, Bartels U, Huang A, Tabori U, Rutka JT, Drake JM, Kulkarni AV, Dirks P, Taylor MD, Ramaswamy V, Ibrahim GM. Postoperative cerebellar mutism syndrome is an acquired autism-like network disturbance. Neuro Oncol. 2024 May 3;26(5):950-964. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noad230

Gouveia FV, Lea-Banks H, Aubert I, Lipsman N, Hynynen K, Hamani C. Anesthetic-loaded nanodroplets with focused ultrasound reduces agitation in Alzheimer's mice. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2023 Apr;10(4):507-519. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51737

Gouveia FV, Germann J, Elias GJB, Boutet A, Loh A, Lopez Rios AL, Torres Diaz C, Contreras Lopez WO, Martinez RCR, Fonoff ET, Benedetti-Isaac JC, Giacobbe P, Arango Pava PM, Yan H, Ibrahim GM, Lipsman N, Lozano A, Hamani C. Multi-centre analysis of networks and genes modulated by hypothalamic stimulation in patients with aggressive behaviours. Elife. 2023 May 22;12:e84566. doi: 10.7554/eLife.84566

Gouveia FV, Diwan M, Martinez RCR, Giacobbe P, Lipsman N, Hamani C. Reduction of aggressive behaviour following hypothalamic deep brain stimulation: Involvement of 5-HT1A and testosterone. Neurobiol Dis. 2023 Jul;183:106179. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106179

Antunes GF, Campos ACP, Martins DO, Gouveia FV, Rangel Junior MJ, Pagano RL, Martinez RCR. Unravelling the Role of Habenula Subnuclei on Avoidance Response: Focus on Activation and Neuroinflammation. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jun 27;24(13):10693. doi: 10.3390/ijms241310693

Flores EM, Gouveia FV, Matsumoto M, Bonacif THFS, Kuroki MA, Antunes GF, Campos ACP, Kimachi PP, Campos DO, Simões CM, Sampaio MMC, Andrade FEM, Valverde J, Barros ACSD, Pagano RL, Martinez RCR. One year follow-up on a randomized study investigating serratus anterior muscle and pectoral nerves type I block to reduced neuropathic pain descriptors after mastectomy. Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 21;13(1):4591. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31589-6

Campos ACP, Pople C, Silk E, Surendrakumar S, Rabelo TK, Meng Y, Gouveia FV, Lipsman N, Giacobbe P, Hamani C. Neurochemical mechanisms of deep brain stimulation for depression in animal models. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2023 Mar;68:11-26. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.12.003

Warsi NM, Wong SM, Germann J, Boutet A, Arski ON, Anderson R, Erdman L, Yan H, Suresh H, Gouveia FV, Loh A, Elias GJB, Kerr E, Smith ML, Ochi A, Otsubo H, Sharma R, Jain P, Donner E, Lozano AM, Snead OC, Ibrahim GM. Dissociable default-mode subnetworks subserve childhood attention and cognitive flexibility: Evidence from deep learning and stereotactic electroencephalography. Neural Netw. 2023 Oct;167:827-837. doi: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.07.019

Gouveia FV, Baker PM, Mameli M, Germann J. Editorial: The Habenula and Its Role in Neuropsychiatric Symptoms. Front Behav Neurosci. 2022 May 24;16:929507. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.929507

Gouveia FV, Ibrahim GM. Habenula as a Neural Substrate for Aggressive Behavior. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 17;13:817302. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.817302

Gouveia FV, Germann J, Oliveira CC, Castro MC, Antunes GF, Gomes GCV, Pinto TRC, Martinez RCR, Valle AC. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Reduces Anxiety, Depression and Plasmatic Corticosterone in a Rat Model of Atypical Generalized Epilepsy. Neuroscience. 2022 Jan 1;480:32-41. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.11.003

López Ríos AL, Germann J, Hutchison WD, Botero Posada LF, Ahunca Velasquez LF, Garcia Jimenez FA, Gloria Escobar JM, Chacon Ruiz Martinez R, Hamani C, Lebrun I, Auada AVV, Restrepo Bravo CA, Gouveia FV. Long-Term Follow-Up on Bilateral Posterior Hypothalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Treating Refractory Aggressive Behavior in a Patient with Cri du Chat Syndrome: Analysis of Clinical Data, Intraoperative Microdialysis, and Imaging Connectomics. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2022;100(5-6):275-281. doi: 10.1159/000526871

Yan H, Elkaim LM, Venetucci Gouveia F, Huber JF, Germann J, Loh A, Benedetti-Isaac JC, Doshi PK, Torres CV, Segar DJ, Elias GJB, Boutet A, Cosgrove GR, Fasano A, Lozano AM, Kulkarni AV, Ibrahim GM. Deep brain stimulation for extreme behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder converges on a common pathway: a systematic review and connectomic analysis. J Neurosurg. 2022 Jan 21;137(3):699-708. doi: 10.3171/2021.11.JNS21928

Antunes GF, Pinheiro Campos AC, de Assis DV, Gouveia FV, de Jesus Seno MD, Pagano RL, Ruiz Martinez RC. Habenula activation patterns in a preclinical model of neuropathic pain accompanied by depressive-like behaviour. PLoS One. 2022 Jul 12;17(7):e0271295. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271295

Cunha de Azevedo AR, Contreras López WO, Navarro PA, Gouveia FV, Germann J, Elias GJB, Ruiz Martinez RC, Lopes Alho EJ, Fonoff ET. Unilateral Campotomy of Forel for Acquired Hemidystonia: An Open-Label Clinical Trial. Neurosurgery. 2022 Jul 1;91(1):139-145. doi: 10.1227/neu.0000000000001963

Silk E, Diwan M, Rabelo T, Katzman H, Campos ACP, Gouveia FV, Giacobbe P, Lipsman N, Hamani C. Serotonin 5-HT1B receptors mediate the antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of ventromedial prefrontal cortex deep brain stimulation in a mouse model of social defeat. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2022 Dec;239(12):3875-3892. doi: 10.1007/s00213-022-06259-6

Germann J, Boutet A, Elias GJB, Gouveia FV, Loh A, Giacobbe P, Bhat V, Kucharczyk W, Lozano AM. Brain Structures and Networks Underlying Treatment Response to Deep Brain Stimulation Targeting the Inferior Thalamic Peduncle in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2022;100(4):236-243. doi: 10.1159/000523826

Warsi NM, Yan H, Suresh H, Wong SM, Arski ON, Gorodetsky C, Zhang K, Gouveia FV, Ibrahim GM. The anterior and centromedian thalamus: Anatomy, function, and dysfunction in epilepsy. Epilepsy Res. 2022 May;182:106913. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2022.106913

Gouveia FV, Germann J, Elias GJ, Hamani C, Fonoff ET, Martinez RCR. Case report: 5 Years follow-up on posterior hypothalamus deep brain stimulation for intractable aggressive behaviour associated with drug-resistant epilepsy. Brain Stimul. 2021 Sep-Oct;14(5):1201-1204. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.07.062

Gouveia FV, Silk E, Davidson B, Pople CB, Abrahao A, Hamilton J, Ibrahim GM, Müller DJ, Giacobbe P, Lipsman N, Hamani C. A systematic review on neuromodulation therapies for reducing body weight in patients with obesity. Obes Rev. 2021 Oct;22(10):e13309. doi: 10.1111/obr.13309

Gouveia FV, Germann J, Devenyi GA, Fonoff ET, Morais RMCB, Brentani H, Chakravarty MM, Martinez RCR. Bilateral Amygdala Radio-Frequency Ablation for Refractory Aggressive Behavior Alters Local Cortical Thickness to a Pattern Found in Non-refractory Patients. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021 Jun 9;15:653631. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.653631

Gouveia FV, Germann J, de Morais R, Fonoff ET, Hamani C, Alho EJ, Brentani H, Martins AP, Devenyi G, Patel R, Steele C, Gramer R, Chakravarty M, Martinez RCR. Longitudinal Changes After Amygdala Surgery for Intractable Aggressive Behavior: Clinical, Imaging Genetics, and Deformation-Based Morphometry Study-A Case Series. Neurosurgery. 2021 Jan 13;88(2):E158-E169. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyaa378

Germann J, Gouveia FV, Brentani H, Bedford SA, Tullo S, Chakravarty MM, Devenyi GA. Involvement of the habenula in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder. Sci Rep. 2021 Oct 27;11(1):21168. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-00603-0

Gidyk DC, Diwan M, Gouveia FV, Giacobbe P, Lipsman N, Hamani C. Investigating the role of CB1 endocannabinoid transmission in the anti-fear and anxiolytic-like effects of ventromedial prefrontal cortex deep brain stimulation. J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Mar;135:264-269. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.029

Contreras Lopez WO, Navarro PA, Gouveia FV, Fonoff ET, Lebrun I, Auada AVV, Lopes Alho EJ, Martinez RCR. Directional Deep Brain Stimulation of the Posteromedial Hypothalamus for Refractory Intermittent Explosive Disorder: A Case Series Using a Novel Neurostimulation Device and Intraoperative Microdialysis. World Neurosurg. 2021 Nov;155:e19-e33. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.07.086

Germann J, Mameli M, Elias GJB, Loh A, Taha A, Gouveia FV, Boutet A, Lozano AM. Deep Brain Stimulation of the Habenula: Systematic Review of the Literature and Clinical Trial Registries. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 17;12:730931. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.730931

Germann J, Elias GJB, Neudorfer C, Boutet A, Chow CT, Wong EHY, Parmar R, Gouveia FV, Loh A, Giacobbe P, Kim SJ, Jung HH, Bhat V, Kucharczyk W, Chang JW, Lozano AM. Potential optimization of focused ultrasound capsulotomy for obsessive compulsive disorder. Brain. 2021 Dec 16;144(11):3529-3540. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab232

Elias GJB, Boutet A, Parmar R, Wong EHY, Germann J, Loh A, Paff M, Pancholi A, Gwun D, Chow CT, Gouveia FV, Harmsen IE, Beyn ME, Santarnecchi E, Fasano A, Blumberger DM, Kennedy SH, Lozano AM, Bhat V. Neuromodulatory treatments for psychiatric disease: A comprehensive survey of the clinical trial landscape. Brain Stimul. 2021 Sep-Oct;14(5):1393-1403. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.08.021

Graduate Students

TBD