Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/17/2017
3:00 pm
The human brain consists of numerous networks distributed over space and connected over time to orchestrate meaningful interaction with the external world. Neurological disorders disrupt this interaction, as well as our control over our bodies. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged in the nineties as a neurosurgical intervention for the treatment of movement disorders. The clinical personnel that perform programming of stimulation settings (amplitude, frequency and pulse width of the electrical current) however, do not necessarily have a scientific understanding of the underlying pathology, or the physiological response to the adjustments to various stimulation parameters. Instead, they base their decisions on the observable behavioral responses and verbal response of patients. Studying the neurophysiological signatures of neurological disorders, and the aftereffects of brain stimulation would enable direct interpretation of the disorder and provide insight into treatment options that can be tailored to the current clinical condition of the patient. Our goal of this project is to study the electrophysiological underpinnings of movement disorders using next generation DBS devices capable of recording brain signals in humans, in order to responsively deliver stimulation to the current pathological state of the brain. In this talk, I will present our efforts at the University of Florida on developing closed-loop DBS for Tourette syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.
Brief Bio:
Dr. Aysegul Gunduz is the director of the Brain Mapping Laboratory and an assistant professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. She also holds a UF Preeminence Term Professorship. Gunduz’ research interests include neural interfacing, neural signal processing, neuromodulation, neurological disorders, as well as cortical and deep brain stimulation in human subjects.
Dr. Gunduz earned her BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey, 2001), North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC, 2003), and University of Florida (Gainesville, FL, 2008), respectively. She received postdoctoral training at Albany Medical College, department of neurology, and at the Wadsworth Center, Division of Translational Medicine in Albany, NY.
She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award (2016), UF BME Faculty Research Excellence Award (2016), the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering Early Career Award (2015), the UF Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute NIH KL2 Scholarship (2015).