Posts classified under: TNT Scholars

My research goal is to establish novel neuro-rehabilitation devices and therapies that are affordable and accessible by any patient. To achieve that goal, I am interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of neuromodulations in patients with spinal cord injury. To be more specific, I am utilizing a comprehensive set of biological (opto-/ chemogenetics, electrophysiology and single nucleus RNA sequencing), engineering (signal processing and electrode fabrication), and computational (machine learning) tools to investigate the short-term and long-term changes of spinal circuit induced by the electrical epidural stimulation.

Mentor: Daniel Lu, M.D., Ph.D

My research combines animal models with electrophysiology and chemogenetics to investigate the neural signatures of Parkinson’s disease and Levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Specifically, I am interested in identifying causal patterns of electrical activity in the frontocoritcal regions that are associated with the cognitive impairments of Parkinson’s disease, with the ultimate goal of using these neural signatures as novel therapeutic targets.

Mentor: Alicia Izquierdo, Ph.D.

Jihye’s research interest broadly centers on agency – specifically, on how an individual obtains a sense of control over one’s body, and thus establish a sense of self. She approaches this question from an embodied perspective, where different layers of the nervous systems interact with one another in a complex manner to produce behaviors at will.

Mentor: Ausaf Bari, M.D., Ph.D., and Nanthia Suthana, Ph.D.