Thesis Project Form

This project is part of a collaboration with the Neural Plasticity Lab at the Kansas University Medical Center. The aim is to further investigate the link between the behavioral deficits and neurophysiological signals in rodent models, before and after an ischemic lesion to the primary motor cortex.

The available dataset is composed by 64-channels neurophysiological data recorded with chronically implanted intracortical microelectrodes, 3 high definition, high framerate video streams of animal performing a pellet retrieval task and various external synchronization triggers. The project will focus on data analysis and will include the following tasks:
- Feasibility study for markerless movement tracking. Starting from binocular video recording the candidate will setup and implement a markerless limb tracking system using already available software tool from the literature.
- Behavioral data preprocessing and analysis. The position data will be processed with standard analysis techniques (trajectory variability, jerk analysis, trial time, etc.) to quantify the impact of the lesion on the motor performance.
- Neurophysiological data preprocessing and analysis. Neurophysiological data will be processed using a semiautomatic tool developed in the lab and further analysis will be performed and implemented by the assignee.
The knowledge gained during this project will help to develop a smarter neurorehabilitation strategy that exploits precisely timed electrical impulses to drive enhanced behavioral recovery after an ischemic lesion. Continuous interaction with our US partner is foreseen during the project.

1. Mixed software skills (Matlab, Python)
2. General data analysis techniques
3. Neurophysiological data analysis techniques
4. Neurophysiological experiment design