The Translational Neurophysiology & Brain Stimulation lab studies human brain function and dysfunction, and develops new brain stimulation methods to improve the lives of people with neurological disease.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a standard of care for people with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia, and is drawing attention for many other refractory neurological disorders.
Our team records the activity of individual neurons deep within the brain during awake neurosurgery. These recordings are part of routine clinical care, generating a “map” of the brain that ensures each intervention reaches the correct location.
Patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery remain awake during the procedure.
Microelectrodes record individual neurons from deep within the brain as part of standard clinical care.
The recordings confirm each intervention reaches the right location, and open a unique window for research.
Recordings from awake, behaving patients let us study human physiology, brain stimulation mechanisms and synaptic plasticity in vivo.
Our projects span the complete translational continuum. We apply biomedical signal processing, machine learning and computational modelling to understand how the brain behaves and how it responds to stimulation.
The TNBS lab operates in state-of-the-art wet and dry lab spaces at the Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital.
A permanent research fixture within a state-of-the-art operating theatre, where intracranial data are collected during DBS implantation surgeries.
Prof. Milosevic holds appointments at the Krembil Brain Institute, the KITE Research Institute, and the University of Toronto’s Institutes of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences. We collaborate with a multidisciplinary team:
Luka received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Tübingen’s Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology. His research sits at the intersection of biomedical engineering and neuroscience, focused on novel data-driven methods of neuromodulation and brain stimulation.
He and his team also play a clinical role, monitoring patients’ brain activity to guide the placement of DBS devices at Toronto Western Hospital.
Combines optical and electrophysiological tools to uncover pathological and therapeutic neural circuits across disease models.
Develops new DBS targets for spinocerebellar ataxia using animal models, looking for stimulation-based motor improvements.
[Short research focus from the current team page]
[Short research focus from the current team page]
A free online workshop covering topics across neuroscience. Each topic opens with fundamentals, then builds toward advanced methods.
Prospective students and researchers with experience or interest in any of these areas are welcome to contact Dr. Milosevic at any time.