Using computer simulations for predicting interventions restoring healthy patterns of neural activity

在许多神经系统疾病中，神经元会改变它们的反应方式。例如，在帕金森氏病中，参与运动启动的大脑区域中的神经元开始在其活动中产生振荡。这些振动使得信息的传输更加困难，其中一些振动导致了手的抖动。帕金森病的一种治疗方法是通过植入电极对大脑进行电刺激。我们单位的研究旨在通过使刺激依赖于正在进行的神经活动模式来完善这样的治疗。该研究计划的目的是使用计算机模拟来研究如何以及何时（与正在进行的活动相关）提供电刺激以最大限度地减少疾病症状。通过模拟和分析大脑网络的数学模型，我们将提出刺激的方法，随后将进行测试。我们希望开发的方法也可以应用于其他神经系统疾病。

In many neurological disorders, the neurons change how they respond. For example, in Parkinson’s disease, the neurons in brain regions involved in initiation of movements start to produce oscillations in their activity. These oscillations make transmission of information more difficult and some of them are causing shaking of hands. One treatment for Parkinson’s disease involves electrical stimulation of the brain through implanted electrodes. The research in our unit aims in refining treatments like this one by making the stimulation dependent of the ongoing pattern of neural activity. The aim of this research programme is to use computer simulations to investigate how and when (in relation to ongoing activity) to provide the electrical stimulation to minimize the symptoms of the disease. Through simulations and analyses of mathematical models of brain networks, we will suggest ways of stimulations, which will be subsequently tested. We hope that the developed methods could be also applied to other neurological disorders.