Neuromodulation and homeostatic processes

The brain is inarguably the most complex organ in the body, and disruption to brain activity can have fatal consequences for the organism.

The brain’s resilience relies on high levels of redundancy to ensure continued function under most circumstances, as well as built-in homeostatic mechanisms to stabilise neural activity and maintain interhemispheric and excitatory/inhibitory balance.

Following stroke, direct tissue damage and disconnection of remote brain areas causes functional disruption that can span multiple domains. Inhibitory neurons have a primary role in post stroke recovery for their ability to modulate brain plasticity in both the perilesional region and remote areas. Our recent work shows that optogenetically induced gamma frequency entrainment, targeting interneurons, offers neuroprotection after stroke.

Meet our newest stroke researcher: Dr Matilde Balbi

Group leader

Dr Matilde Balbi

Dr Matilde Balbi

Group Leader, Neuromodulation and homeostatic processes

Senior Research Fellow

  +61 (0)432 202 911
  m.balbi@uq.edu.au
  @matildebalbi
  balbilab.com
  UQ Researcher Profile

Our mission is to make an impact on the field of stroke recovery and other pathological conditions by using a multi-level approach that includes neuronal, systems and behavioural analysis. We aim to recruit and enhance the intrinsic neuroprotective mechanisms of the brain through recovery paradigms tailored individually by automated assessment and AI-controlled feedback. To do that we need to test our hypothesis by performing well-designed experiments that will lead to new discoveries and disseminate those newly generated knowledge to the scientific community, and to the general population to educate about neuroscience.

PhD Projects:

Students will learn how to use two photon imaging and mesoscale imaging tools together with optogenetic manipulation and other form of brain stimulation to understand the neuronal mechanisms involved in neuroprotection. Machine learning will also be implemented in our approach. Candidates with a degree in biology, neuroscience or related fields such as engineering, mathematics or physics are encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, LGBTIAQ+ students and others from backgrounds underrepresented in STEMM

Mechanisms by which cortical oscillations mediate neuroprotection

Honour projects:

Students will learn how to use cutting edge techniques related to their projects. Candidates with a degree in biology, neuroscience or related fields such as engineering, mathematics or physics are encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, LGBTIAQ+ students and others from backgrounds underrepresented in STEMM.

Metabolic changes underlying neuroprotection
Closed-loop joystick navigation for mice
Implication of cortical spreading depolarizations following stroke

Pericytes Are Not Associated With Reduced Capillary Perfusion After Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Guntupalli, Sumasri, Park, Pojeong, Han, Dae Hee, Zhang, Lingrui, Yong, Xuan Ling Hilary, Ringuet, Mitchell, Blackmore, Daniel G., Jhaveri, Dhanisha J., Koentgen, Frank, Widagdo, Jocelyn, Kaang, Bong-Kiun and Anggono, Victor (2023). Ubiquitination of the GluA1 subunit of AMPA receptors is required for synaptic plasticity, memory and cognitive flexibility. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43 (30), JN-RM. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1542-22.2023
Ultrasound-Mediated Bioeffects in Senescent Mice and Alzheimer’s Mouse Models
Balbi, Matilde, Blackmore, Daniel G., Padmanabhan, Pranesh, and Götz, Jürgen (2022). Ultrasound-Mediated Bioeffects in Senescent Mice and Alzheimer’s Mouse Models. Brain Sciences 12 (6) 775 775. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060775
Driving Oscillatory Dynamics: Neuromodulation for Recovery After Stroke
Storch, Sven, Samantzis, Montana, and Balbi, Matilde (2021). Driving Oscillatory Dynamics: Neuromodulation for Recovery After Stroke. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 15 712664 712664. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2021.712664
Location Matters: Navigating Regional Heterogeneity of the Neurovascular Unit
Bernier, Louis-Philippe, Brunner, Clément, Cottarelli, Azzurra, and Balbi, Matilde (2021). Location Matters: Navigating Regional Heterogeneity of the Neurovascular Unit. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 15 696540 696540. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.696540
Gamma frequency activation of inhibitory neurons in the acute phase after stroke attenuates vascular and behavioral dysfunction
Balbi, Matilde, Xiao, Dongsheng, Jativa Vega, Max, Hu, Hao, Vanni, Matthieu P., Bernier, Louis-Philippe, LeDue, Jeffrey, MacVicar, Brian, and Murphy, Timothy H. (2021). Gamma frequency activation of inhibitory neurons in the acute phase after stroke attenuates vascular and behavioral dysfunction. Cell Reports 34 (5) 108696 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108696

View all publications

Assessment and modulation of cortical sensorimotor control for recovery after stroke

(2023–2027) NHMRC IDEAS Grants

Development of an individualised closed-loop approach for stroke recovery
(2021–2022) Bionics Queensland Challenge

Genomic profiling of neuronal plasticity after induced gamma oscillations in a stroke mouse model
(2021–2022) U21 Health Sciences Group Early Career Research Fund

Our approach

The Balbi lab employs a multi-level approach, combining in vivo imaging techniques, brain stimulation—including but not exclusively optogenetics—and AI driven, individually tailored recovery paradigms in behaving rodents, to investigate intrinsic neuroprotective mechanisms of the brain under pathological conditions such as stroke.