Owen Doyle Rose Hills
Tracking Changes in Neural Activity from Novel Brain Stimulation
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) safely manipulates neural excitability in the brain, offering neuroscientists a powerful tool to study the human brain and clinicians a potential treatment for psychiatric and neurological disorders. NIBS methods influence the brain’s electrical activity by generating an electric field over a targeted region of the scalp. For example, directing stimulation over the motor cortex can elicit movement in a muscle of interest. The intensity of movement may reflect the integrity of the nervous system’s motor pathway but measuring electrical changes in the brain proves vital to understanding how the brain responds to stimulation. A new magnetic NIBS device developed at Berkeley requires an investigation of these electrophysiological changes. I will study our device’s effect on neural activity using electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive method of monitoring electrical signals in the brain. Using EEG, we hope to understand how the device modulates neural excitability and endogenous neural oscillations.
Message To Sponsor
My SURF experience was a period of immense personal growth, exploration, and enjoyment made possible by The Rose Hills Foundation. I developed a new confidence in research and taking on challenges independently while constantly learning more about the fascinating fields of EEG and NIBS research. This experience has laid the foundation in my research plans for the upcoming academic year, and hopefully beyond, where I will continue to use the skills and knowledge I gained this summer. Thank you for your generosity and support– I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.