PhD Defence: Cortical Oscillations During Movement in ALS
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Tobias Sevelsted Stærmose defends his PhD thesis “Movement-Related Beta Band Modulation in ALS: A Multimodal MEG Investigation”, which explores how brain activity is altered in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) during voluntary and passive finger movement.

Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), including both a conventional SQUID-based system and a novel setup with optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs), the project demonstrates that ALS patients show reduced beta-band modulation, especially in those with hand muscle weakness. Surprisingly, similar changes appear even during passive movement, suggesting widespread cortical involvement.

A feasibility study further shows that OPM-MEG can reliably detect these brain responses and may offer a patient-friendly alternative for future ALS research.

The defense is public and ALL ARE WELCOME.
After the defense CFIN will host a reception in AU building 1710, Universitetsbyen 3, 8000 Aarhus C.

If you wish to follow the defense via Zoom, please contact Henriette Vuust to get a link: henry@cfin.au.dk

Assessment committee:
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• Chair of the committee and moderator of the defense: Erisela Qerama Montvilas, Consultant, Associate professor, PhD, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology. Aarhus Universityshospital, Aarhus University, Health Aarhus, Denmark.
   
• Assessor 1: Professor of Clinical Neurology & Neuroscience Martin Turner, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Radcliffe Hospital & Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
   
• Assessor 2: Adjunct Professor Troels W. Kjær, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
   
• Clinical Professor, Consultant Jakob Blicher, Department of Neurology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark - main supervisor, non-voting member of the committee

Contact:
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Tobias Sevelsted Stærmose
tgs@cfin.au.dk
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/tgs@cfin.au.dk

https://cfin.au.dk/cfin-labs-research-groups/plasticity-and-disease