People

Mariska van Steensel

I am Mariska van Steensel, one of the postdocs in the Brain-Computer-Interface (BCI)-group of Nick Ramsey. After my study Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the Leiden University, I worked as a PhD student and as a postdoc in the Laboratory for Neurophysiology of the Leiden University Medical Center.
There, I performed fundamental neuroscientific research on the circadian pacemaker (or biological clock) of the brain. The techniques I used were mainly in vivo and ex vivo (brain slices) electrophysiology. At a certain point, I realized that I would like to dedicate my neuroscientific career more to the development of treatments or devices that are of direct help to patients. Therefore, in 2007, I became a postdoc in the BCI-group of the University Medical Center in Utrecht. The goal of the group is to investigate the possibilities of an electrocorticography (ECoG)-based BCI for severely paralyzed patients. The idea behind is that patients who have lost (almost) all muscle control would be able to control a computer by only their thoughts, which would provide them with a means of communication or control over their environment. My contribution to the accomplishment of this goal is to acquire and analyze fMRI and ECoG data of epilepsy patients who are (temporarily) implanted with ECoG electrodes for diagnostic purposes. Because our measurements often provide interesting information on the location of functions in these epilepsy patients, we work in close collaboration with the clinical staff, in order to find out whether or not our measurements can, additionally, contribute to the clinical function localization procedure. In this way, my research will hopefully be of benefit to both paralyzed patients and epilepsy patients.

Position

Post-doc


Grants

NWO/STW


Duration

01-08-2007 tot 01-02-2012


Project

Human CNS neuroprosthetics: substituting lost brain function


Content

BCI general: We aim to develop a system that will enable paralyzed patients to control devices using their brain activity. This system will be based on implanted electrodes, which have the advantage of a high signal-to-noise ratio, compared to extracranial electrodes. In addition, high frequencies (>100 Hz) can be recorded, and the system is less sensitive to noise.

Project: Using the efforts of epilepsy patients, who are implanted temporarily with intracranial ECoG electrodes for diagnostic purposes, we investigate whether cognitive functions (e.g. working memory) can be used for BCI applications. Also, we examine whether the location of BCI-relevant brain areas can be predicted, in individual patients, using fMRI.



Collaboration within UMC Utrecht

Dora Hermes, Erik Aarnoutse, Aldemar Torres Valderrama, Martin Bleichner, Patrik Andersson, Jeroen Siero (eigen groep), M. Viergever en J. Pluim (Image Science Institute), afdeling Neurologie en Neurochirurgie, H.J. Noordmans (afdeling klinische fysica), afdeling Klinische Neurofysiologie



Collaboration outside UMC Utrecht

Gerwin Schalk (Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA)
Peter Brunner (Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA)
Kai Miller (University Washington, Washington DC, USA)
Cristiano and Nicola Rizzo (Micromed s.r.l., Italy)



Publications