MRC TS Award: Dynamic Neuromodulation

大脑多个区域协调的短暂神经节律控制着我们的日常行为，从喝一杯水到做决定。这种基本神经特性的功能障碍与帕金森氏症、原发性震颤和肌萎缩症等常见疾病有关，这些疾病影响着英国100多万人。了解神经协调在健康和疾病中的作用是开发有效治疗方法的关键。我的研究计划使用脑刺激来确定神经协调在帕金森氏病和原发性震颤中的作用。在我的职业发展奖期间，我致力于：主题1：确定疾病回路的当前状态如何影响最有效的刺激策略。主题2：确定选择性地调节神经协调如何影响目标导向行为。主题3：建立我们大脑自然控制神经协调的机制。主题4：通过模仿我们大脑自然控制协调的机制来确定是否有可能调节神经与大脑刺激的协调。我们在主题1-3和(A)实施了实验任务，以更好地了解症状严重程度和运动之间的联系，(B)建立了切合实际的计算模型，捕捉了特发性震颤和帕金森氏症的潜在机制；(C)开发了侵入性和非侵入性刺激策略，以减少震颤并影响目标导向的行为。由于几种减轻处罚的情况，我们仍处于主题4的开始阶段，需要更多时间。过渡支持奖将用于支持这项重要的工作，并通过支持我的团队中的一名关键成员和保护我的研究时间来巩固我的中级奖学金。

Brief neural rhythms, coordinated across multiple brain regions, control our everyday actions from reaching for a glass of water to making decisions. Dysfunction of this fundamental neural property has been linked to common conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Essential Tremor, and Dystonia, which impact more than one million people across the UK. Understanding the role of neural coordination in health and disease is key for the development of effective therapies.My research programme uses brain stimulation to establish the role of neural coordination in Parkinson's disease and Essential Tremor. During my Career Development Award, I worked towards:Theme 1: Establishing how the current state of a disease circuit influences the most effective stimulation strategy.Theme 2: Determining how selectively modulating neural coordination impacts goal-directed behaviour.Theme 3: Establishing the mechanisms through which our brains naturally control neural coordination.Theme 4: Determining whether it is possible to regulate neural coordination with brain stimulation by mimicking mechanisms through which our brains naturally control coordination.We have made good progress with Themes 1-3 and (a) implemented experimental tasks to better understand the link between symptom severity and movement, (b) built realistic computational models that capture the mechanisms underlying Essential Tremor and Parkinson's disease and (c) developed invasive and non-invasive stimulation strategies to reduce tremor and influence goal-directed behaviour. Due to several mitigating circumstances, we are still at the beginning stages of Theme 4 and require additional time. The Transition Support Award will be used to support this important body of work and consolidate my intermediate fellowship by supporting a key member of my team and protecting my research time.