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

Aaron Fahnenbruck (MSc Psychology)
Frederik Hauke (BSc Physics)
Marius Krösche (MSc Neurocognitive Psychology)
Fayed Rassoulou (MSc Cognitive Science)
Mitra Taghizadeh Sarabi (PhD Cognitive Neuroscience)
Alexandra Steina (MSc Medical Physics)
Lucy M. Werner (MSc Psychology)

Associates

Lucie Winkler (MSc Psychology; AG Butz)

Research Assistants

Alumni

Djamilya Aravitska (MD)

Elisabeth Schreivogel (MD)

Abhinav Sharma (MSc Electrical Engineering)

Dmitrii Todorov (PhD Mathematics)

Action Selection
DBS & AI
DBS & Connectivity
Entrainment 
 

• Werner, L. M., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2025). Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in the beta frequency range boosts cortical beta oscillations and slows down movement. Journal of Neuroscience. Link
• Krösche, M., Hartmann, C., Butz, M., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2025). Altered cortical network dynamics during observing and preparing action in patients with Corticobasal syndrome. Neurobiology of Disease, 106796. Link
• Winkler, L., Butz, M., Sharma, A., Vesper, J., Schnitzler, A., Fischer, P., & Hirschmann, J. (2024). Beta Waves in Action: Context-Dependent Modulations of Subthalamo-Cortical Synchronization during Rapid Reversals of Movement Direction. eLife, 13. Link
• Rassoulou, F., Steina, A., Hartmann, C. J., Vesper, J., Butz, M., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2024). Exploring the electrophysiology of Parkinson’s disease with magnetoencephalography and deep brain recordings. Scientific Data, 11(1), 889. Link
• Steina, A., Sure, S., Butz, M., Vesper, J., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2024). Mapping Subcortico‐Cortical Coupling—A Comparison of Thalamic and Subthalamic Oscillations. Movement Disorders, 39(4), 684-693. Link
• Todorov, D., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2024). Parkinsonian rest tremor can be distinguished from voluntary hand movements based on subthalamic and cortical activity. Clinical Neurophysiology, 157, 146-155. Link
• Krösche, M., Kannenberg, S., Butz, M., Hartmann, C. J., Florin, E., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2023). Slowing of Frontal β Oscillations in Atypical Parkinsonism. Movement Disorders. Link
• Hirschmann J, Steina A, Vesper J, Florin E, Schnitzler A (2022) Neuronal oscillations predict deep brain stimulation outcome in Parkinson's disease. Brain Stimulation 792:802. Link
• 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

All publications here