I am interested in the human motor system, its involvement and interactions with cognition, and its alterations in movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. With respect to methods, I focus on electrophysiology. In particular, my lab specialises in the combination of invasive recordings from deep brain electrodes and non-invasive recording techniques, such as MEG or EEG. In addition, we specialise in applied machine learning for neurology and deep brain stimulation, in particular.

1. Rassoulou, F., Sharma, A., Steina, A., Butz, M., Hartmann, C. J., Bahners, B. H., ... & Hirschmann, J. (2025). Electrophysiological signatures predict the therapeutic window of deep brain stimulation electrode contacts. npj Digital Medicine, 8(1), 635. 10.1038/s41746-025-02089-w.
2. Winkler, L., Werner, L. M., Butz, M., Hartmann, C. J., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2025). Deep brain stimulation-responsive subthalamo-cortical coupling in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Brain Stimulation, 19(1), 103008. 10.1016/j.brs.2025.103008.
3. Steina, A., Sure, S., Butz, M., Vesper, J., Schnitzler, A., Hirschmann, J. (2025). Oscillatory coupling between thalamus, cerebellum and motor cortex in essential tremor. Movement Disorders, 40(5), 896-905. 10.1002/mds.30165.
4. Werner, L.M., Schnitzler, A., Hirschmann, J. (2025) Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in the beta frequency range boosts cortical beta oscillations and slows down movement. Journal of Neuroscience, 45(9). 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1366-24.2024.
5. Winkler, L., Butz, M., Sharma, A., Vesper, J., Schnitzler, A., Fischer, P., Hirschmann, J. (2025) Beta Waves in Action: Context-Dependent Modulations of Subthalamo-Cortical Synchronization during Rapid Reversals of Movement Direction. eLife, 13. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.101769.1.
6. Krösche, M., Hartmann, C. J., Butz, M., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. (2025). Altered cortical network dynamics during observing and preparing action in patients with corticobasal syndrome. Neurobiology of Disease, 205, 106796. 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106796.
7. Rassoulou, F., Steina, A., Hartmann, C.J., Vesper, J., Butz, M., Schnitzler, A., Hirschmann, J. (2024) Exploring the electrophysiology of Parkinson’s disease with magnetoencephalography and deep brain recordings. Scientific Data, 11:1(2024). 10.1038/s41597-024-03768-1.
8. Steina, A., Sure S., Butz, M., Vesper, J., Schnitzler, A. Hirschmann, J. (2024). Mapping subcortico-cortical coupling – a comparison of thalamic and subthalamic oscillations. Movement Disorders, 39.4 (2024):684693. 10.1002/mds.29730.
9. Kroesche, M., Kannenberg, S., Butz, M., Hartmann, C., Florin, E., Schnitzler, A., & Hirschmann, J. Slowing of Frontocentral Beta Oscillations in Atypical Parkinsonism. Movement Disorders (2023), 38(5), 10.1002/mds.29378.
10. Hirschmann, J, Steina, A., Vesper, J., Florin, E., & Schnitzler, A. (2022). Neuronal oscillations predict deep brain stimulation outcome in Parkinson’s disease. Brain Stimulation (2022), 15(3), 792-802. 10.1016/j.brs.2022.05.008.