Neuroplasticity & Motor Recovery
The goal of our group is to advance a physiology-based understanding of sensorimotor function and recovery that can inform non-invasive approaches for improving deficits in neurological patients. In a translational framework, we examine neural changes associated with learning and recovery using functional MRI and EEG, aiming to characterize plasticity at the whole-brain network level through oscillatory dynamics in resting-state fMRI and EEG.
We also investigate how focal brain lesions alter structural connectivity and how these changes relate to somatosensory and motor performance. Our work identifies networks of disconnection after stroke that extend far beyond the focal lesion and mediate sensorimotor impairments, shaping a connectivity-based view of brain function and dysfunction.
In longitudinal studies, we assess mechanisms of functional and structural plasticity in stroke patients undergoing brain–computer interface training, non-invasive brain stimulation, or pharmacological interventions. We show that connectivity changes are linked to functional improvements, highlighting potential targets for future non-invasive modulation.
Collaborators
- Prof. Christopher Steele - Neural Architecture, Behaviour, and Connectivity Laboratory, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
- Prof. Karsten Müller, Methoden- und Entwicklungsgruppe Neuronale Datenwissenschaft und statistisches Rechnen, MPI CBS
- Prof. Vadim Nikulin, Neural Interactions and Dynamics, Department of Neurology, MPI CBS
