Aberrant network activity plays a critical role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, not just by disrupting the spatiotemporal framework that underpins cognitive and motoric functionality, but also by dysregulating the activity level of both glia and neurons and thus the numerous dependent cellular processes. The underlying mechanisms that lead to an aberrant network activity in these cases and the relationship between an aberrant network activity and the amyloid-β (Aβ) cascade are poorly understood.

The long-term goal of my research programme is to develop physical means of brain stimulation, known as ‘neuromodulation’, to probe and treat the dysfunctional neural networks through direct control of circuit activity.

The programme drives innovation via scientific exploration of common biophysical principles underpinning the neural processing of electromagnetic and sensory stimulation, with natural bridges between advanced computational neuroscience and cutting-edge experiments, ranging from a single neuron cell to human behaviour.