New ways of using neurotechnologies for modulating human brain activity and functions
Event details
| Date | 11.02.2015 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof Gregor Thut, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow (UK). |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
A central role for brain oscillations
It has been difficult to establish how brain activity orchestrates brain function. Understanding this is a prerequisite for then designing effective interventions, for a controlled modulation of the neuronal mechanism underlying our experiences, thoughts or actions. My research focuses on the role of brain oscillations in this regard, understood to reflect fingerprints of neuronal network architecture. One central question is whether brain oscillations merely reflect correlates of the neuronal processes implementing brain functions (are inevitable side-products) or may also have explanatory power as to how the brain operates in mechanistic terms, and by extension may serve as targets for experimental and clinical interventions. My programme tackles these questions using electro- (magneto-) encephalography and non-invasive transcranial brain stimulation techniques. To illustrate the recent success and future potential of this approach, my talk will cover novel advances in decoding and driving of brain oscillations to change perception and cognition. The latter involves the use of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rhTMS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). I will cover the way this has revealed how different features of oscillations in the visual brain (amplitude, phase, frequency and their topography) relate to different processes that extract relevant information from the environment (gating of information); and how we can bias these processes in desired direction by driving the underlying brain oscillations through frequency-tuned interventions. Mechanistically, this will illustrate how operations of the visual brain such as “filtering of information”, “temporal framing/sampling” and “multiplexing” are reflected in oscillatory activity. Phenomenologically, this determines our visual experiences, biasing for instance “where”, “when” and “what” of a visual scene we perceive. I will discuss how short-term and long-term effects of frequency-tuned interventions into brain oscillations may be brought about by entrainment versus plasticity effects (STDP-like) in the neuronal circuits generating these oscillations, with impact for experimental versus clinical interventions. This will lead me to my final points: how this translates to clinical applications, and its relation to biofeedback approaches.
Bio : Gregor Thut has an undergraduate and PhD-degree from ETHZ, and a background in Neuropsychology. His research interfaces human electrophysiology and non-invasive interventions into human brain activity, with an emphasis on performance (cognitive) enhancement. His goal is to develop intervention techniques into powerful neuroscience tools and clinically effective protocols, to manipulate and better understand the brain-behaviour relationship. His approach is to target brain activity of neuronal network communication (brain oscillations) by frequency-tuned, non-invasive brain stimulation, to which he has made both technical and topical contributions. He has received recent UK funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust from which he holds a prestigious 5-year Investigator award. He has served/serves in various panels and editorial boards and has published more than 100 articles (H-index: 44 Google Scholar/ 38 Scopus).
It has been difficult to establish how brain activity orchestrates brain function. Understanding this is a prerequisite for then designing effective interventions, for a controlled modulation of the neuronal mechanism underlying our experiences, thoughts or actions. My research focuses on the role of brain oscillations in this regard, understood to reflect fingerprints of neuronal network architecture. One central question is whether brain oscillations merely reflect correlates of the neuronal processes implementing brain functions (are inevitable side-products) or may also have explanatory power as to how the brain operates in mechanistic terms, and by extension may serve as targets for experimental and clinical interventions. My programme tackles these questions using electro- (magneto-) encephalography and non-invasive transcranial brain stimulation techniques. To illustrate the recent success and future potential of this approach, my talk will cover novel advances in decoding and driving of brain oscillations to change perception and cognition. The latter involves the use of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rhTMS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). I will cover the way this has revealed how different features of oscillations in the visual brain (amplitude, phase, frequency and their topography) relate to different processes that extract relevant information from the environment (gating of information); and how we can bias these processes in desired direction by driving the underlying brain oscillations through frequency-tuned interventions. Mechanistically, this will illustrate how operations of the visual brain such as “filtering of information”, “temporal framing/sampling” and “multiplexing” are reflected in oscillatory activity. Phenomenologically, this determines our visual experiences, biasing for instance “where”, “when” and “what” of a visual scene we perceive. I will discuss how short-term and long-term effects of frequency-tuned interventions into brain oscillations may be brought about by entrainment versus plasticity effects (STDP-like) in the neuronal circuits generating these oscillations, with impact for experimental versus clinical interventions. This will lead me to my final points: how this translates to clinical applications, and its relation to biofeedback approaches.
Bio : Gregor Thut has an undergraduate and PhD-degree from ETHZ, and a background in Neuropsychology. His research interfaces human electrophysiology and non-invasive interventions into human brain activity, with an emphasis on performance (cognitive) enhancement. His goal is to develop intervention techniques into powerful neuroscience tools and clinically effective protocols, to manipulate and better understand the brain-behaviour relationship. His approach is to target brain activity of neuronal network communication (brain oscillations) by frequency-tuned, non-invasive brain stimulation, to which he has made both technical and topical contributions. He has received recent UK funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust from which he holds a prestigious 5-year Investigator award. He has served/serves in various panels and editorial boards and has published more than 100 articles (H-index: 44 Google Scholar/ 38 Scopus).
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Center for Neuroprosthetics