• Early Stage Researcher 6 (ESR 6) name:  Valeriya Zelenkova

Email address: vzelenko@uni-bremen.de

Personal Information:

"My interest in methods of modulating brain activity via brain stimulation started during my Bachelor's studies, where I worked as a research assistant on a project employing tDCS, as well as another project using direct brain stimulation during awake brain surgery in human patients for surgical planning.

Then I graduated from a joint Master's program in Cognitive Science at the University of Trento and SISSA (Italy) in October 2021, where I worked on visual system research - in particular, on how statistical properties of visual input are processed in rat visual cortex. There, I gained experience with electrophysiological acute brain recordings, surgery skills and brain data analysis.

My current research interests focus on the primate model of the visual system, communication between visual brain areas, as well as optogenetic and electrical brain stimulation and electrophysiology. "

Publication(s):

Malyutina, S., Zelenkova, V., Buivolova, O., Oosterhuis, E. J., Zmanovsky, N., & Feurra, M. (2018). Modulating the interhemispheric balance in healthy participants with transcranial direct current stimulation: No significant effects on word or sentence processing. Brain and language, 186, 60-66.

 Zyryanov, A., Zelenkova, V., Malyutina, S., Stupina, E., Karpychev, V., Gordeyeva, E., ... & Dragoy, O. (2019). The contributions of the arcuate fasciculus segments to language processing: evidence from brain tumor patients. Российский журнал когнитивной науки, 6(1), 25-37.

• Host Institution: Brain Research Institute, Center for Cognitive Science, University of Bremen, Germany.

• Supervisors: Dr A Kreiter, Dr D Wegener, Dr I Grothe.

• Project title: Modulating neuronal network information processing by selective stimulation of monkey visual cortex

• Project description:

Modulating input signals by optogenetic stimulation of neuronal circuits could help restore impaired sensory-, motor-, and cognitive functions. However, a deeper understanding of how brain networks route incoming information in a dynamic and efficient way, and how cognitive control affects such routing, is crucial for the development of such therapeutic methods. 

My project investigates mechanisms of task-dependent neuronal signal routing through cortical bottom-up and top-down pathways and its attentional modulation in macaque monkeys, as well as their possible control by influencing neuronal activity patterns using optogenetic manipulation.

• Secondments:

(1) ATLAS Neuro, 01.08.2023 – 30.08.2023

In the one-month stay at IMTEK with ATLAS Neuroengineering in Freiburg, Germany, the ESR had a chance to learn about neural probes from the side of the engineers that produce them, which is an important perspective that is not always available to end users - researchers that record with those probes. Valeriya was able to observe and to assist in the process of probe fabrication and performed
several experiments to test various components of the angular neural probe that is being developed by Ivânia Trepo (ESR 13). Therefore, this secondment was not only a learning opportunity but also a project collaboration that will continue in the upcoming months. Finally, the secondment in Freiburg was a great networking opportunity for the ESR to meet fellow neuroscientists from IMTEK and other labs in Freiburg.

(2) University of Fribourg, 03.09.2022- 26.11.2022

In the three-months long secondmend at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) the ESR had a chance to aquire experience in all steps of preparing and performing an optogenetics study, as well as in analysis of brain data from optogenetic experiments. She was also able to assist in multiple surgeries and data recording sessions, and to do a histological examination of the brain. The knowledge built up during this secondment is extremely relevant to the ESR’s own PhD project in optogenetics. Finally, the secondment in Fribourg was a great networking opportunity for the ESR to meet fellow researchers both from the hosting lab and from other labs at the University of Fribourg.

Contact: email Dr Kreiter 

More information:

• Cognitive Neurophysiology group, University of Bremen