Join us in congratulating the recipients of the 2025-2026 MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Research Fellowships.
Graduate Fellows
Noradrenergic modulation of the voltage dynamics of primary visual cortical VIP+ interneurons in arousal
Sonia Abbaspour, Department of Neuroscience
Mentor: Ganesh Vasan, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience
Sonia's research focuses on the noradrenergic modulation of cortical circuits in arousal—a physiological state of increased alertness and readiness to respond to external stimuli. Arousal is disrupted in neuropsychiatric conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Using high-speed targeted voltage imaging with single-neuron, single-spike resolution, combined with optogenetic and pharmacological manipulations in awake mice, her aim is to determine how noradrenaline, a key neuromodulator released from the brainstem locus coeruleus, alters the dynamics of vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons in the visual cortex during state transitions from rest to arousal. By uncovering the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms linking arousal to cortical function, her research lays the groundwork for developing targeted, circuit-specific interventions that move beyond traditional broad-spectrum treatments.
Validation of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) neuromodulation in human motor cortex
Steve Adams, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Alik Widge, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Steve Adams is validating reproducible biomarkers of target engagement for Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU), a non-invasive alternative to deep brain stimulation. Current non-invasive methods cannot reliably modulate deep brain regions critical for mood, cognition, and motor control. Steve applies LIFU to excite the motor cortex and quantifies neural responses through motor-evoked potentials and functional imaging. His research establishes a rigorous foundation for translating LIFU into safe, accessible therapies for severe psychiatric disorders, such as depression, OCD, and PTSD.
Investigating the effects of biomarker-based directional deep brain stimulation on the basal ganglia-thalamocortical network in parkinsonism
Devyn Bauer, Department of Biomedical Engineering/Neurology
Mentor: Luke Johnson, Ph.D., Department of Neurology
Devyn Bauer’s project will advance deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for Parkinson’s disease treatment by providing a richer, network-based understanding of how DBS alters the brain’s motor network. Specifically, I aim to compare directional stimulation targeting two specific brain signals of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and correlate their effects on the basal ganglia thalamocortical (BGTC) motor network to therapeutic outcomes. To provide foundational knowledge on how DBS affects the motor network, I will use a novel high density recording technology, Neuropixels, to record massive, simultaneously sampled neuronal populations across the entire BGTC network under different stimulation conditions. Using this approach, I will compare therapeutic outcomes and network changes to biomarker-specific GPi DBS. My research will directly inform the use of GPi biomarkers in clinical research and improved DBS treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Modulation of motor excitability using phase-specific closed-loop paired-pulse TMS
Da Som Choi, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Alexander Opitz, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering
Da Som Choi's research explores how the timing of brain activity influences motor cortical excitability using a closed-loop paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) approach. Her study examines how inhibitory and facilitatory intracortical circuits - reflected by short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) - respond differently depending on the phase of ongoing brain rhythms. By delivering stimulation at precise phases in real time, she investigates how intrinsic cortical states shape motor system responsiveness. Her work provides new insight into how oscillatory brain activity modulates excitability within intracortical networks. The findings contribute to developing individualized and brain-state-informed neuromodulation strategies for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and stroke.
Sex differences in deep brain stimulation effects on cognitive flexibility
Nic Glewwe, Department of Neuroscience
Mentor: Nicola Grissom, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
Many individuals experiencing mental illness have difficulty shifting between thoughts or tasks, an ability known as cognitive flexibility. The inability to adapt to new environments or information can be debilitating, and is not improved by medications or cognitive behavioral therapy in up to 20-60% of individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions. Though internal capsule/striatum deep brain stimulation can improve cognitive flexibility in treatment resistant individuals, stimulation efficacy remains variable. In this project, Nic Glewwe aims to understand how sources of individual variability, like sex, affect the ability of electrical deep brain stimulation to improve cognitive flexibility using a mouse model.
Seizure risk forecasting using deep brain stimulator recorded local field potential in the anterior nucleus of thalamus
Xinbing Zhang, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Tay Netoff, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering
Xinbing (Jack) Zhang’s research focuses on developing seizure forecasting models for individuals with refractory epilepsy by analyzing long-term local field potential recordings from the anterior nucleus of the thalamus. Using data collected through the Medtronic Percept deep brain stimulator, Jack aims to identify periodic cycles in brain activity that are phase-correlated with seizure occurrence. His work seeks to establish robust neural biomarkers that could enable closed-loop neuromodulation and provide patients with timely seizure risk warnings.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Modulating working memory through the frontal pole in humans
Paul Cunningham, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor: Alexander Herman, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Emerging technologies such as machine-brain interfaces and localized brain stimulation offer an unprecedented ability to target, measure, and manipulate neural tissue to treat debilitating symptoms associated with mental illness. A major goal in neuropsychiatric research is to use these technologies to treat cognitive processes in addition to the motor symptoms they are currently used for. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to have a thorough characterization of the neurocomputational processes targeted for treatment at a spatiotemporal resolution commensurate with what these technologies offer. To this end, Paul’s research explores how the prefrontal cortex supports working memory and executive control in humans by measuring and manipulating neural activity in real time using invasive recording and stimulation techniques. Paul hopes that insights gained from his research will guide future therapeutic innovations that improve treatment outcomes for mental illnesses characterized by deficits in working memory and executive control.
Delivery of phase locked neurostimulation as a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders
Geoffrey Diehl, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor: Alik Widge, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Diehl is working to develop a new class of closed-loop neuromodulation for eventual use in treatment of psychiatric disorders. Most psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety disorders are believed to arise from deficits in communication and synchrony between interconnected brain areas. By measuring real-time brain activity and delivering electrical pulses precisely timed to specific moments of communication, it may be possible to return the brain to a healthy state and treat these psychiatric conditions. Long term, Dr. Diehl hopes to adapt this work into an implantable brain stimulation device that can use closed-loop neuromodulation technology for clinical treatment of depression and anxiety.
Effects of deep brain stimulation on parkinsonian sleep dysfunction
Jing You, Ph.D., Department of Neurology
Mentor: Luke A. Johnson, Ph.D., Department of Neurology
Dr. You aims to explore the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus internus (GPi) in sleep dysfunction of Parkinsonian conditions. Her study will investigate how STN-DBS and GPi-DBS change sleep quality (sleep duration, sleep architecture, sleep efficiency) and modulate neural oscillatory activity and connectivity in the cortical-subcortical networks, and characterize the relationship between sleep quality and neural effects. Her project will provide important insight into DBS mechanisms of action in the context of sleep and whether one target (STN or GPi) is more effective for improving sleep, with the ultimate goal of improving DBS for treating sleep dysfunction in PD.
Cortical coordinated reset stimulation for the treatment of motor signs in Parkinson’s disease
Lvpiao Zheng, Ph.D., Department of Neurology
Mentor: Jing Wang, Ph.D., Department of Neurology
Dr. Zheng’s research aims to establish cortical coordinated reset (CR) stimulation as a less invasive alternative to traditional high-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease (PD). CR stimulation, which delivers low-intensity, alternating bursts to disrupt pathological neuronal synchrony, has already demonstrated both acute and sustained therapeutic effects in subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS. This project applies CR stimulation to the primary motor and premotor cortices via subdural electrocorticography (ECoG) arrays to assess both acute and long-term motor improvements in Parkinsonian non-human primates, along with in-depth analyses of neuronal synchrony dynamics across the basal ganglia-thalamocortical (BGTC) network by integrating neural recordings from implanted STN DBS leads. The research outcomes could advance the development of minimally invasive neuromodulation strategies for PD and provide critical insights into the mechanisms by which cortical CR stimulation modulates the BGTC network. The findings also lay the groundwork for future development of non-invasive neuromodulation approaches.
