U.S.-Mexico Planning Visit: Collaborative Research on Epilepsy Diagnosis and Therapy

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This U.S.-Mexico award,jointly funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), will support one senior researcher and three junior colleagues under the direction of Dr. Walter Besio of the University of Rhode Island on two planning visits to Mexico. The primary goal of these visits is to explore collaborations with researchers at two institutions in order to develop a new electrode technology (tripolar concentric ring electrodes, or TCREs) for use as a brain-computer interface that provides an alternative for communication and control to persons with seizure-related neural disabilities. This topic is related to the PI's recently awarded grant from the Research to Aid the Disabled Program, CBET-0933596. The facilities at the two Mexican institutions (Dr. Luisa Rocha-Arrieta's laboratory at CINVESTAV, at the National Polytechnic Institute, and Dr. Iris Martinez-Juarez'clinical research laboratory at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery "Manuel Velasco Suarez") are complementary to those at URI and will further Besio's highly rated research efforts, allowing him to extend the scope of his current project. Two visits are planned. The first will discuss ways to study mechanisms of noninvasive transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TcES) to reduce seizures, and the second will discuss noninvasive TcES using TCREs to reduce seizure activity. On each visit a student, a postdoctoral researcher, and a research assistant will accompany the PI to Mexico for discussions and planning.This potential collaborative research program will bridge basic and clinical sciences, help accelerate the transition of technology from laboratory to application, enhance the state of knowledge in the field of brain stimulation and electroencephalography (EEG), provide a powerful tool for understanding epilepsy and other complex neurological disorders, and add to technologies that aid persons with neurological diseases. It will also expose U.S. students and young scientists to a potentially unique and vibrant international research experience, which is a priority for the Office of International Science and Engineering.