Izmir University of Economics, Faculty of Medicine
Department of Neurology

Title: Cognitive Neurophysiology in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract:

In this talk, the relationship between EEG (Electroencephalography) findings and changes in brain functions in various neuropsychiatric diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and in the aging process will be discussed. 

In recent years, advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases have increased the early recognition of these diseases and the search for biomarkers. EEG is a non-invasive, low-cost, time-resolution method that reflects brain activity.

By means of EEG recordings, abnormalities in the brain waves of the patients and weakening of the connections between brain regions were obtained. These findings have contributed to the development of early diagnosis and treatment evaluation, providing a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases. Measuring EEG at rest or after an event indicates the activation of different brain networks. In Alzheimer’s disease, with the progression of the disease, changes in EEG both at rest and after a task (event-related potentials/oscillations) have been revealed. EEG changes in power, in particular, are associated with a decrease in brain volume. In Parkinson’s disease, in addition to power changes, phase changes were noted, probably due to early degenerative changes of subcortical structures.

EEG changes detected by our group in various psychiatric disorders such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia have enabled us to better understand the neurophysiological basis of these diseases.

Using EEG, the course of neuropsychiatric disorders can be monitored and the response to treatment can be evaluated. In conclusion, his research on EEG findings may contribute significantly to our better understanding of the neurophysiological basis of neuropsychiatric disorders and to evaluate treatment strategies for these disorders.

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Biography:

I am a behavioral neurologist with a PhD in biophysics working on electroencephalography of dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. After becoming neurology specialist, I completed my fellowship in behavioral neurology at UCLA in 1993. After returning to Turkey, I founded an outpatient dementia clinic in Dokuz Eylül University, as one of the pioneer clinics in the country. I was also one of the founders of Alzheimer’s Association in Turkey in Istanbul in 1997, and then became founder chair of Izmir local branch in 2000. Dokuz Eylül University dementia outpatient clinic helped producing many MSc or PhD theses on care of caregivers, educational programs, in governmental collaborations. Since 1995, I worked as either a site principal investigator or country coordinator for many drug clinical trials. My other contributions to the field included serving as a commission member of the Ministry of Health for the preparation of a dementia protocol for the country. In neurology and neurosciences departments, I was mentor of around 30 theses on biomarkers, experimental studies, event-related potentials, behavioral/cognitive scales, development of virtual reality tests in the field of dementia and related disorders.

About 15 years ago, we founded the department of neuroscience at Health Sciences Institute bridging the basic scientists and clinicians in DEU. In 2010, the DEU dementia center became one of the centers of excellence in the European Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium. I served as a representative of the Turkish national funding agency (TÜBITAK, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) in the European Union in the JPND initiative. Our center collaborated with many centers in Europe, mainly with Italy, France, Ireland, and USA. Recently, I was selected to serve as the Program Chair in electrophysiology of The Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) and selected to the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), ALS and FTD working group’s executive committee in 2021. Currently, I work full-time teaching and research professor at Izmir School of Economics, Faculty of Medicine, and as a guest researcher at International Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey whilst continuing to supervise postgraduate theses in the DEU Department of Neurosciences and directing a national funding agency project and part of an IMI-EU and Erasmus+ project. I am the author of around 165 Web of Science articles and have about 2500 WOS citations and an H-index of 31.