AG Hirschmann

Our research focuses on the electrophysiology of movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor. We are particularly interested in the relationship between brain activity on the one hand and symptoms, such as tremor or cognitive impairments, on the other hand. Is it possible to tell from brain recordings which symptoms are currently present and how they will respond to therapy? Is it possible to derive recommendations for clinicians, e.g. on the best configuration of a deep brain stimulation system? Can electrophysiological recordings help us find the correct diagnosis? To answer these and similar questions, we record brain activity in patients and look for patterns related to specific symptoms using advanced data analysis methods, and machine learning in particular. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is our primary tool for measuring brain activity.

Head

Jan Hirschmann

Members

Alexandra Steina (MSc Medical Physics)
Marius Krösche (MSc Neurocognitive Psychology)
Elisabeth Schreivogel (MD)
Dmitrii Todorov (PhD Mathematics)

Associates

Lucie Winkler (MSc Psychology; AG Butz)
Christoph Kawan (cand. BSc Medical Physics; AG Lange)

Lab Rotation

Alberto Descalzo Garcia (BSc Mathematics)
Mojgan Khoshchehreh (BSc Computer Science)

Research Assistants

Salome Peralta-Reyes (BSc Translational Neuroscience)

Action Selection
Corticobasal Syndrome
DBS & AI
DBS & Connectivity

• Hirschmann J, Baillet S, Woolrich M, Schnitzler A, Vidaurre D, Florin E (2020) Spontaneous network activity <35 Hz accounts for variability in stimulus-induced gamma responses. Neuroimage 207:116374 Link

• Hirschmann J, Abbasi O, Storzer L, Butz M, Hartmann CJ, Wojtecki L, Schnitzler A (2019) Longitudinal Recordings Reveal Transient Increase of Alpha/Low-Beta Power in the Subthalamic Nucleus Associated With the Onset of Parkinsonian Rest Tremor. Front Neurol 10:145 Link

• Hirschmann J, Butz M, Hartmann CJ, Hoogenboom N, Özkurt TE, Vesper J, Wojtecki L, Schnitzler A (2016) Parkinsonian Rest Tremor Is Associated With Modulations of Subthalamic High-Frequency Oscillations. Mov Disord 31:1551–1559 Link

• Hirschmann J, Hartmann CJ, Butz M, Hoogenboom N, Özkurt TE, Elben S, Vesper J, Wojtecki L, Schnitzler A (2013) A direct relationship between oscillatory subthalamic nucleus-cortex coupling and rest tremor in Parkinson’s disease. Brain 136:3659–3670 Link

We are looking for PhD students, postdocs and clinician scientists to join our research project Improving deep brain stimulation through artificial intelligence. For more information, click here.