Patrycja Dzialecka

Project Title: Mechanistic investigation of Temporal Interference brain stimulation and its translational application
Supervisor: Dr Nir Grossman
Location: Level 5, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN

About Me

I completed my PhD at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Neurotechnology, where I focused on developing and validating a non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique called Temporal Interference. Prior to joining Imperial College London, I earned my MEng degree in biomedical engineering at University College London (UCL). During that time, I developed a keen interest in the interaction between biological systems and technology, leading me to work in robotics and neuroscience laboratories on developing body- and brain-machine interfaces. Having experienced the importance of both basic and clinical research, I decided to pursue a PhD project at the intersection of these worlds.

Qualifications

2019-2024 PhD in Clinical Medicine Research, Imperial College London
2018-2019 MRes in Neurotechnology and PhD in Medicine, Imperial College London
2014-2018 MEng Biomedical Engineering, University College London (First Class Hons)

Patents

Dzialecka P*, Grossman N*. US 2022/0331602 A1. Pulsed Temporal Interference technology

Research Interests

Physical means of brain stimulation, such as with the use of implanted electrodes for deep brain stimulation (DBS), offer a non-pharmacological approach to probe and treat dysfunctional neural networks by directly controlling circuit activity. DBS is widely used to treat patients with severe movement and affective disorders. However, the risks associated with inserting electrodes into the brain limit the therapeutic impact of DBS and make it challenging to explore new brain targets.

A novel stimulation technique called Temporal Interference (TI), unlike most other techniques, shows the potential to reach deep brain regions without activating the overlying structures. The overall aim of my PhD project was to develop stimulation principles to pave the way for new experimental frontiers and therapies with reduced risk for patients. My project focused primarily on characterising the large-scale, spatiotemporal neuronal responses to TI and developing stimulation paradigms aimed at alleviating the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Selected publications

Luff CE, Dzialecka P, Acerbo A, Williamson A, Grossman N, Pulse-Width Modulated Temporal Interference (PWM-TI) Brain Stimulation. Brain Stimulation, 2024

Wessel MJ*, Beanato E*, (…), Dzialecka P, (…), Hummel FC. Noninvasive theta burst stimulation of the human striatum enhances striatal activity and motor skill learning. Nature Neuroscience, 2023

Acerbo E, Jegou A, Luff C, Dzialecka P, (…), Williamson A. Focal non-invasive deep-brain stimulation with temporal interference for the suppression of epileptic biomarkers. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022

De Santis D, Dzialecka P, Mussa-Ivaldi FA. Unsupervised Coadaptation of an Assistive Interface to Facilitate Sensorimotor Learning of Redundant Control. 7th IEEE International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2018