Testing a novel non-invasive brain stimulation device to safely modulate human brain function
Richard Ivry, Professor
Psychology
Closed. This professor is continuing with Spring 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Fall 2024.
The goal of this project is to test the efficacy of a new non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) device that has been developed at Berkeley. NIBS methods have been around for about 40 years and involve applying weak electrical or magnetic fields to the scalp (non-invasive) in order to modulate neural activity in a targeted region of the brain. These methods have provided a powerful tool for basic research on brain-behavior relationships, as well as a clinical intervention in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders (e.g., stroke recovery). Our new NIBS method emerged through a collaboration between Prof. Ivry and members of his Cognition and Action Lab, and physicists at the UC Berkeley Brain Imaging Center. We are recruiting one or more URAP RAs to assist in running the experiments and analyzing the data. We will be comparing our new NIBS method to existing NIBS methods. This is a great opportunity for someone interested in neuroscience and/or bioengineering.
Role: The RA will be involved in
-- Running experiments with human participants to compare different NIBS methods. This involves using different brain stimulation techniques.
-- Recording surface (non-invasive) activity in peripheral muscles (EMG), one of the main probes of changes in cortical excitability.
-- Running behavioral experiments to assess performance changes resulting from NIBS.
-- Analysis of the data using Matlab code.
The RA will work under the direct supervision of a graduate student in the Ivry lab. There are regular team meetings of the research group, including the senior scientists behind the development of the project and Prof. Ivry, to review the project.
RAs are expected to participate in journal club meetings where we read relevant literature related to NIBS.
Qualifications: An ideal candidate:
-- has a strong interest in neuroscience and/or bioengineering research
-- can commit about 10 hours per week to the project
-- is excellent in paying attention to detail as the experiments involve many different components. With training, it is expected the RAs will conduct the experiments without supervision.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Christina Merrick, Graduate Student
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Related website: http://ivrylab.berkeley.edu
Biological & Health Sciences Education, Cognition & Psychology