We have three openings tenure-track faculty positions in “Translational Neuroscience” here at CCNY encompassing clinical, basic, and computational neuroscience. The home department for each position is fairly flexible, though we envision one hire in Biomedical Engineering, one in Psychology and one in the Medical School. Joint appointments with Math, Biology, etc. are also possible. The search will consider all ranks from Assistant to Full professor.

Please also distribute this announcement to students or collaborators who may be interested.

https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/psp/cnyepprd/GUEST/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=8049&Site

PRISM Lecture/Neuroscience joint talk:

“The tongue as visual surrogate: experiences with sensory substitution for blindness”

AMY C. NAU, OD, FAAO

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Tuesday April 30, 2013, Time: 12:35 – 1:45 PM  Location: NAC 7/236 

Abstract: Sensory substitution is a newer concept for restoring a sense of the environment to the completely blind.  How to test performance for states of ultra low vision in the context of artificial vision, particularly those mediated through non-visual pathways is a new area of research.  This lecture will provide an overview of experiences using the BrainPort and some method to conduct objective and quantifiable assessments of behavioral performances.  In addition, preliminary results of neuroimaging studies using diffusion tensor MR imaging (DTI) and functional positron emission tomography (PET) will be shown to suggest that the visual brain becomes less organized as a function of blindness duration.

Biography: Dr. Nau is the Director of optometric and low vision services for the UPMC Eye Center, and the founder of the Sensory Substitution Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated from the New England College of Optometry and completed a residency in ocular disease at the VAMC in Boston. She practiced at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston for five years and has been at the University of Pittsburgh since 2003.  Clinically, she specializes in medical contact lenses for ocular surface and corneal disease, including scleral lenses and contacts for artificial corneas. Her research interests primarily center on artificial vision technologies for the blind, including sensory substitution. Her laboratory has conducted the largest human studies to date of the BrainPort Vision Device, which uses the tongue as a means to convey visual information to the brain.

UPDATE.  All three candidates passed the thesis defenses!  We are very proud of outstanding projects and presentations.

Showin in picture (left to right):

Prof. Simon Kelly, Prof. Lucas Parra, Marta Isabel Vanegas Arroyave (soon MS), Linford Leitch (soon MS), Dennis Truong (soon MS), Prof. Marom Bikson.

Friday, April 26th 2013

10:30 AM  “A novel visual stimulation paradigm: exploiting individual primary visual cortex geometry to boost steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP).” MS Candidate MARTA ISABEL VANEGAS ARROYAVE.  Advisor: Prof. Simon Kelly. Location: Steinman BME 5th Floor conference room

12:00 PM “Finite Element Study of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: customization of models and montages.” MS candidate DENNNIS Q. TRUONG. Advisor: Prof. Marom Bikson, Location: Steinman Room 2M13 (floor 2M)

1:30 PM  “Design, Product Development, and Risk Assessment of Tin (Sn) ring electrodes as a substitute to Silver-Silver Chloride (Ag/AgCl) ring electrodes for High Definition – transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS).” MS Candidate LINFORD LEITCH, Location: Steinman Room 2M13 (floor 2M)

3:00 PM  Picture time.  Please meet right in front of Steinman Hall and please be prompt, as we will take pictures right away (if it rains meet in Neural Engineering).  Because we have not updated our picture in years, current and PAST lab members should come.  Please spread the word to everyone (since not everyone might be on the mailing lists).   All students, volunteers, lab affiliates should come.

With Dr. Marom Bikson as PI, the CCNY Neural Engineering group was awarded a major 3 years grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).

During transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), low-intensity DC current is applied across the scalp to enhance specific performance or training efficacy on a range of complex cognitive tasks; moreover tDCS has been suggested to produce minimal side-effects (undesired cognitive changes).  The central premise of this proposal if that tDCS achieves task-specific modulation through a cellular mechanism where only neuronal circuits primed during tDCS (for example by training) are modulated by tDCS, while none primed mechanisms are not modulated.  The specific goal of this proposal is thus to establish a cellular substrate for DCS mediated activation-specific changes.

New York City tDCS workshop on April 1, co-directed by Dr. Marom Bikson, hosted at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital by Soterix Medical Inc.

We will be there!  The workshop is expected to sell out so reserve a spot ASAP.

Talk by Dr. Marom Bikson, Dr. Felipe Fregni, and Dr. Dylan Awards,

Hands-on workshop on tDCS and HD-tDCS (!) plus demonstration of HDexplore and HDtargets,

Our lab will be running an hands-on modeling tutorial during one of the break-out sessions.

More details at the Soterix Medical website here 

PubMed link and read the PRESS RELEASE at Soterix Medical.

J Pain. 2013 Feb 14. pii: S1526-5900(12)00967-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2012.12.007. [Epub ahead of print]

Focal Modulation of the Primary Motor Cortex in Fibromyalgia Using 4×1-Ring High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS): Immediate and Delayed Analgesic Effects of Cathodal and Anodal Stimulation.

Villamar MF, Wivatvongvana P, Patumanond J, Bikson M, Truong DQ, Datta A, Fregni F.

Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.

Abstract: Fibromyalgia is a prevalent chronic pain syndrome characterized by altered pain and sensory processing in the central nervous system, which is often refractory to multiple therapeutic approaches. Given previous evidence supporting analgesic properties of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques in this condition, this study examined the effects of a novel, more focal method of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), using the 4×1-ring configuration of high-definition (HD)-tDCS, on overall perceived pain in fibromyalgia patients. In this patient- and assessor-blind, sham-controlled, crossover trial, 18 patients were randomized to undergo single 20-minute sessions of anodal, cathodal, and sham HD-tDCS at 2.0 mA in a counterbalanced fashion. The center electrode was positioned over the left primary motor cortex. Pain scales and sensory testing were assessed before and after each intervention. A finite element method brain model was generated to predict electric field distribution. We found that both active stimulation conditions led to significant reduction in overall perceived pain as compared to sham. This effect occurred immediately after cathodal HD-tDCS and was evident for both anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS 30 minutes after stimulation. Furthermore, active anodal stimulation induced a significant bilateral increase in mechanical detection thresholds. These interventions proved well tolerated in our patient population. PERSPECTIVE: 4×1-ring HD-tDCS, a novel noninvasive brain stimulation technique capable of more focal and targeted stimulation, provides significant reduction in overall perceived pain in fibromyalgia patients as compared to sham stimulation, irrespective of current polarity. This technique may have other applications in research and clinical settings, which should be further explored.

Prof. Marom Bikson to give lectures in Israel (updated Google+ link)

— January 7, 2 PM-3 PM SEMINAR followed by WORKSHOP on tDCS and HD-tDCS

“Transcranial direct current stimulation: Devices, therapies and clinical trials”

The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University, Israel

Directions and details here

— Jan 13, 2 PM

“High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Non-invasive and targeted neuromodulation.”

Abstract: High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) was developed by Prof. Marom Bikson and colleagues at The City College of New York in 2006.  HD-tDCS allows for delivery of low-intensity electrical current to targeted brain regions, is low-cost, portable, and well-tolerated.  HD-tDCS uses arrays of scalp electrodes, energized according to subject specific algorithms, to deliver current in an optimized and safe manner. HD-tDCS is under clinical trial for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders (including neuropathic pain) for stroke rehabilitation (including motor and speech) and as a neuromodulation tool for cognitive neuroscience (including accelerated learning). The technology and applications of HD-tDCS are reviewed.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel University Link

A new paper came out on PLoS Computational Biology in collaboration with Lisa Marshall‘s group:

Reato D, Gasca F, Datta A, Bikson M, Marshall M, Parra LC, “Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Accelerates Human Sleep Homeostasis”, PLoS Comput Bio

A direct link to the pdf can be found here.

(Not included in picture: Devin Adair, Nigel Gebodh, Akshita Chawla, Doris Ling)

CCNY Neural Engineering Group

The Neural Engineering Group at The City College of New York analyzes nervous system function at multiple scales spanning sub-cellular, single cell, tissue, animal, to human cognitive levels.  Similarly, our translational research and development program integrates experimental testing, medical device development, and clinical trials – with the over-arching goal of improving human health through engineering innovation.

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In the Media

Lukas Hirsch

Lukas will work in computer vision on biomedical images.

Maximilian Nentwich

Max will work on biomedical image processing and machine learning.

Ivan Iotzov

Ivan is analyzing the EEG responses to naturalistic stimuli in the context of hearing loss and disordered consciousness.

Forouzan Farahani

Forouzan will work on the effects of direct current stimulation on synaptic plasticity.

Devin Adair

Devin is a Ph.D. student studying Cognitive Psychology at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York

Zeinab Esmaeilpour

Ph.D. student, Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York (2017-present)

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uuZoNToAAAAJ&hl=en

Gozde Unal

Phd. Biomedical Engineering , The City College of City University of New York (NY,USA) (2017-Present);

MSc. Biomedical Engineering (minor : Industrial

Niranjan Khadka

Currently studying temperature related mechanism of action of kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) and coupled vascular hypothesis of tDCS.

Greg Kronberg

PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York (2015-Present)

Jason Ki

PhD candicate in Biomedical Engineering CCNY

M.S Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York (2012-2014)

Dennis Truong

PhD in Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York (2013-Present)

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Events and Seminars

Prakhyat Singh

Prakhyat will be working towards understanding the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation on brain activity.

Neural Engineering Research Application

Jens Madsen

Jens is currently working on investigating the connection between attention and education using electro-encephalography.

Yu (Andy) Huang


Contact: andypotatohy@gmail.com

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, City College of New

New book chapter (Cellular and Network Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Insights from Animal Models and Brain Slice) in Transcranial Brain Stimulation by Professor Marom Bikson, Davide Reato, and Asif Rahman provides insights into the mechanisms of transcranial brain stimulation from the cellular effects of electrical stimulation in animal models and brain slices. This chapter addresses the contribution of animal research on direct current (DC) stimulation to current understanding of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) mechanisms and prospects and pitfalls for ongoing translational research. Though we attempt to put in perspective key experiments in animals from the 1960s to the present, our goal is not an exhaustive cataloging of relevant animal studies, but rather to put them in the context of ongoing effort to improve tDCS. Similarly, though we point out essential features of meaningful animal studies, we refer readers to original work for methodological details. Though tDCS produces specific clinical neurophysiological changes and is therapeutically promising, fundamental questions remain about the mechanisms of tDCS and on the optimization of dose. As a result, a majority of clinical studies using tDCS employ a simplistic dose strategy where “excitability” is increased or decreased under the anode and cathode respectively. We discuss how this strategy, itself based on classic animal studies, may not account for the complexity of normal and pathological brain function, and how recent studies have already indicated more sophisticated approaches.

Invented at CCNY Neural Engineering: PR NewsWire press release on High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) in Times Square.

SMI Device Link here

Thesis Title:

“Bioheat Transfer Model and Temperature Control at DBS Electrodes: Experimentally Validated FEM of DBS lead Architecture”

Neural Systems Lab of the Neural Engineering Group website launched!