Projet "MuExC3Po"

The aim of this PhD thesis project is to improve, through interdisciplinary collaboration, our knowledge on the role of the cerebellum, especially in its functional asymmetries during cognitive, proprioceptive and motor processes. Multimodal functional explorations will be carried out through ECeG (ElectroCerebellarGrams) recordings coupled to f-MRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or f-NIRS (functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy), concurrently with the development of ad-hoc signal processing methods.

Experiments in neuro-psychology will build upon interactive devices (as our current patent-pending tablet-based EEG coupled application) to fine tune the study and detection of cognitive and motor skills issues in different targeted populations (children with cognitive or motor particularities, patients with cerebellar syndromes …). With a motivation towards m-health (mobile e-health), this project will develop novel ways to help in the process of recovery/improvement by investigating synergies in complementary techniques like neuro-feedback/neuro-training with alternative interactive devices like Virtual Reality helmets or Wii-like motion sensitive remote sensors coupled with EEG/ECeG/f-NIRS recordings

This project will provide the fellow with highly competitive skills for securing a position in the tech industry, in particular in startup and companies in the domain of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the strong biomedical application tackled during the PhD project will allow the student to acquire solid competences in biomedical data management and analysis. This aspect may open up important career perspectives in the field of biotech, pharmaceutical, and clinical research.

The project will count on the expertise and collaboration of the partners of the ENIGMA consortium, a worldwide network of clinical centers providing data and expertise in dementia research. The project will also involve a 6 months visit period to the Centre of Medical Image Computing (CMIC) of University College London (UCL).

• Olivier Meste, Professor, I3S (Laboratory of Information and communication Science of Sophia Antipolis)
• Marie-Noëlle Magnié-Mauro, Medical Doctor, Neuroscience Department, CHU Nice (University Hospital of Nice)
• Jérôme Lebrun, CNRS Researcher, I3S (Laboratory of Information and communication Science of Sophia Antipolis)