Movement disorders: Rational design of deep brain stimulation with human electrophysiology and computational neural modeling

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an electrical therapy that can help to alleviate symptoms of movement disorders like Parkinson's disease, Essential Tremor, and dystonia. Despite its clinical successes, how DBS works is not fully understood.

Professors Stephanie Jones and Wael Asaad are collaborating to improve DBS efficacy by integrating human brain recordings collected during DBS surgery and biophysically principled modeling of the circuits impacted by DBS.

Experiments are designed to increase basic understanding of the neurophysiological substrates of normal and pathological movement in the human brain, and to use this information to guide improved treatments.

Research Leads

  • Stephanie R. Jones

    Professor of Neuroscience

    Human EEG/MEG, computational neural modeling, non-invasive brain stimulation

    Research Profile

  • Wael Asaad

    Sidney A. Fox and Dorothea Doctors Fox Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Professor of Neurosurgery, Professor of Neuroscience

    Visual-motor learning, memory and decision-making; neuromodulation; epilepsy; psychiatric neurosurgery

    Research Profile