Electrophysiological Approaches to Understanding and Treating Visuomotor Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Isabel Vanegas, PhD
University of Utah

Abstract:
In this talk, I will present several research findings that reveal the intricate relationship between visual processing and neuro-logical health. First, patients with Parkinson’s disease exhibit larger visual responses with exaggerated spatiotemporal adaptation, embedded within a greater background noise level. Second, prefrontal activity regulates visual sensory processing by sharpening the spatial tuning of visual neurons. Third, analyses of behavior, neural activity, and synchrony between prefrontal and visual areas during visual attention highlight the critical role of prefrontal dopamine-mediated activity in synchronizing prefrontal and visual oscillatory phases.

These findings provide valuable insights for developing innovative neuromodulation strategies, particularly those leveraging neural synchrony between prefrontal and visual areas to address visual abnormalities and neurological symptoms linked to visuomotor dysfunction. Overall, my work aims to exploit prefrontal-visual circuitry as a target for neuromodulatory interventions and advanced therapeuƟcs in neurodegenerative diseases, while also promoting health equity and designing neuromodulation therapies tailored to the diverse clinical needs of affected populations.

Biography:
Isabel Vanegas is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Utah School of Medicine where she uses high-resolution electrophysiology and neuromodulation methods to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visuomotor dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Her work focuses on the role of the prefrontal cortex and dopamine-mediated activity in integrating visual information for motor actions.

Isabel earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The City College of The City University of New York. Upon graduation, she worked at the NYU Langone’s Dysautonomia Center. Her research has been recognized by the Atlanta Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation for advancing the study of PD through visual sensory processing analyses, contributing to early and accurate disease detection. Isabel’s ultimate goal is to develop neurophysiology-based diagnostics and closed-loop neuromodulation therapies to address neurological symptoms caused by deficits in the visuomotor circuitry.