Projects
Electric stimulation in the brain cavity wall to reduce its associated symptoms. A generic approach applied in central post-stroke pain. KU Leuven
Human brains can contain holes or cavities due to brain cell loss, e.g. because of developmental defects, stroke or tumour resection. These cavities often result in various symptoms, such as pain, because the involved brain circuits can no longer function properly. Current treatment options for these symptoms include medication and a technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS). In DBS, metal electrodes are implanted in a specific region of ...
Assembly and diversity of long-range inhibitory circuits in the brain KU Leuven
The mammalian neocortex hosts some of the most complex neural circuits in the brain. These typically consist of two main types of nerve cells — excitatory projection neurons which deliver information to other cells over long distances using the neurotransmitter glutamate, and inhibitory interneurons that provide local inhibition by secreting the neurotransmitter GABA. How these cortical circuits compute information remains largely unknown, ...
An Advanced Neonatal Brain Monitoring Framework using Deep Learning KU Leuven
After birth, critically ill or premature infants are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for intensive care and monitoring. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is one of the most informative brain signals in which brain activity and abnormalities are represented by specific patterns. However, to detect these patterns, special expertise is required, which is not available around the clock. Different algorithms already exist for ...
Mitochondrial control of neurogenesis: molecular mechanisms and links with human brain evolution KU Leuven
During brain development, neurogenesis is a key event by which neural stem/progenitor cells convert to post-mitotic neurons. We recently showed that mitochondria dynamics play a keybrole in neurogenesis of mouse and human NSPCs of the cerebral cortex (Iwata et al. Science 2020), but the downstream molecular mechanisms are essentially unknown. We also identified intriguing time-differences in a critical period of fate plasticity in this ...
Direct detection and identification of neuro-oncology markers in brain tumours KU Leuven
The outcome for brain cancer patients is highly dependent on the maximal removal of tumour tissue, but the quality of life post-surgery is linked to the precision by which non-tumoural, essential parts of the brain can be preserved. Today, the decision between removing and partly leaving tissue during surgery is based on a combination of MRI-neuro-navigation guidance, the use Gliolan®, a fluorescent dye that highlights tumour cells, ...
Optimizing non-invasive brain stimulation to improve interlimb coordination in older adults by individualizing parameters. Hasselt University
Assembly and diversity of long-range inhibitory circuits in the brain KU Leuven
The mammalian neocortex hosts some of the most complex neural circuits in the brain. These typically consist of two main types of nerve cells — excitatory projection neurons which deliver information to other cells over long distances using the neurotransmitter glutamate, and inhibitory interneurons that provide local inhibition by secreting the neurotransmitter GABA. How these cortical circuits compute information remains largely unknown, ...
Unraveling the neural mechanisms for action perception using intracranial recordings in the human brain KU Leuven
Social interactions in everyday life require accurately understanding actions and intentions of others. Notably, this ability is affected in individuals with neurological conditions such as autism. Previous work suggests that action understanding relies on a network of brain areas consistently reported to be active when observing actions. In humans, this action-observation network spans large portions of cortex, including the parietal, ...