Dr. med. Marlene Kristin Bönstrup | Low-frequency brain oscillations as a target for an on-demand brain stimulation in human motor rehabilitation

Project Presentation (internal)

  • Date: May 10, 2021
  • Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Dr. med. Marlene Kristin Bönstrup
  • Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Leipzig
  • Location: MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
  • Room: Zoom Meeting
  • Host: Department of Neurology
  • Contact: Marlene.Boenstrup@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
On-demand neurostimulation to induce short bouts of low-frequency oscillations at the motor cortex preceding movement onset may improve motor function post stroke. Previous work has demonstrated high efficiency of this method in a rodent model of stroke and a similar pathophysiology to the rodent brain, marked by LFO absence, is documented in human stroke survivors. First, LFO dynamics in the broad spectrum of natural human motor behavior will be investigated. Second, the modulation of LFOs by non-invasive brain stimulation will be tested. In work package 1, healthy participants will perform everyday motor tasks during the recording of brain electric activity via electroencephalography (EEG). The spatio-temporal propagation of LFOs in the human cortex prior to spontaneous movements will be characterized and movement kinematics will be related to LFO dynamics. Thereby allowing inferences on the relevance of LFOs for control of everyday motor behavior. In a second work package, the modulation of LFOs in the human brain will be tested. In two separate experiments, we will try to disable (virtual lesion using transcranial magnetic stimulation) and facilitate (short pulses of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation) LFO emergence using non-invasive brain stimulation. Results on the one hand side will deepen our understanding of human motor control via LFOs. On the other side it will be tested if LFOs constitute a valid target for an on-demand brain stimulation in human.
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