Skip to main content
Ir a la página de inicio de la Comisión Europea (se abrirá en una nueva ventana)
español es
CORDIS - Resultados de investigaciones de la UE
CORDIS

Fine-tuning the brain’s brakes – modulating inhibitory control with transcranial alternating current stimulation

Objetivo

Inhibitory control over unwanted thoughts, emotions and movements is essential for effective interaction with our environment. This becomes particularly evident when there is too little inhibition, as in obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette’s syndrome, or too much, as in Parkinson’s disease. Recent evidence links successful inhibition to the power of neural oscillations in the beta band (15-30Hz) in a circuit involving the frontal cortex and the subthalamic nucleus. While this is an important step forward, it is not yet sufficient to develop effective neuromodulatory treatments for inhibitory control disorders. For that, we need to understand how the beta oscillations mediate neuronal communication within the fronto-subthalamic circuit.
In this proposal, I address this challenging question through novel applications of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). This non-invasive brain stimulation technique aligns neuronal oscillations to an oscillating low-intensity electrical current applied to the brain. This external control over oscillatory power and phase will allow me to investigate: (1) the functional relevance of beta oscillatory phase, and (2) the causal role of interactions between beta oscillations and other frequency bands (‘cross-frequency coupling’). Subsequently, I will develop an innovative, non-invasive, treatment strategy for inhibitory control deficits, by recording and modulating abnormal circuit activity only when present.
Maastricht University is the ideal place to perform this research program as it is one of the only institutes in the world that has access to a new generation of deep brain stimulators, enabling concurrent recording of cortical and subthalamic activity, and it houses one of the pioneering groups in using oscillation-based non-invasive brain stimulation. Integration within this multidisciplinary team will offer an exceptional opportunity to increase my skill set, and capability to launch my own research group.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

Palabras clave

Programa(s)

Tema(s)

Régimen de financiación

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

Ver todos los proyectos financiados en el marco de este régimen de financiación

Convocatoria de propuestas

(se abrirá en una nueva ventana) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

Ver todos los proyectos financiados en el marco de esta convocatoria

Coordinador

UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHT
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 165 598,80
Dirección
MINDERBROEDERSBERG 4
6200 MD Maastricht
Países Bajos
Región
Zuid-Nederland Limburg (NL) Zuid-Limburg
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 165 598,80