Thesis Project Form
Title (tentative): Analysis of altered sleep patterns in patients with focal cortical dysplasia| Thesis advisor(s): Arnulfo Gabriele | E-mail: |
| Address: Via All'Opera Pia, 13 - 16145 Genova | Phone: |
Description
Motivation and application domain
Taylor dysplasia or type-II focal cortical dysplasia is a particular cortical malformation that leads to sleep seizures in humans. Epileptic patients with Type 2 FCD are drug-resistant - i.e. seizures cannot be controlled using existing pharmacological compounds. Studying inter-ictal spontaneous brain activity, we hypothesize that neuronal communication is altered in specific circuits - namely the epileptogenic network and this alteration is prominent during bistable sleep stages .
General objectives and main activities
We aim at quantifying the alterations during sleep of neuronal communication within and outside the epileptogenic network. In order to do so, we aim:
1. identifying the oscillatory patterns that are altered in the different brain stages
2. studying how these spatiotemporal patterns are mechanistic linked to seizure onset
1. identifying the oscillatory patterns that are altered in the different brain stages
2. studying how these spatiotemporal patterns are mechanistic linked to seizure onset
Training Objectives (technical/analytical tools, experimental methodologies)
The students will be responsible of data preparation, management, analysis using modern programming languages. They will learn how to conduct a brain network analysis from the data preprocessing up to the statical testing.
Place(s) where the thesis work will be carried out: Aalto - Helsinki
Additional information
Maximum number of students: 2
Financial support/scholarship: Erasmus