I am a neuroscientist working at the interface of neurophysiology, neuroimaging and applied mathematics. Im fascinated by how the brain self-organizes, diversifies and adapts – and Im using math as a microscope.
How can the brain express such a rich yet stable repertoire of dynamics? What goes wrong in case of diseases such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and depression? What can we do about it?
To answer these questions, my team and myself are trying to close the gap between experiments, modelling and biomedical applications, using data, computation and math. Currently, my interdisciplinary lab explores 1) white matter plasticity and neuron-glia interactions; 2) How seizures occur in neural circuits, why, and what can we do prevent them; 3) Optimize techniques of neural control and non-invasive brain stimulation.
If you want to know more about my research:
- What epilepsy teaches us about diversity and resilience
- Neurostimulation may herald a new treatment for depression
- Brains manage neurons like air traffic controllers manage airplane movements
Selected Publications
- Dahmen, D. et al. (2025). How heterogeneity shapes self-organized pattern formation and computation in the brain. Neuron (accepted).
- Rich, S., Valiante, T., & Lefebvre, J. (2025). H- and m-channel overexpression promotes seizure-like events by impairing inhibitory processing. PLOS Computational Biology, 21(6), e1013199.
- Abeywardena, K. G., Lefebvre, J., Valiante, T., & Draper, S. C. (2025). Excitability heterogeneity and synaptic coupling shape resilience in a macro-scale network. PLOS Complex Systems, 2(7), e0000057.
- Lefebvre, J., Clappison, A, Longtin, A., & Hutt, A. (2025). Myelin-induced gain control in nonlinear neural networks. Communications Physics, 8:145.
- Sengupta, S., Talidou, A, Lefebvre, J., & Skinner, F.K. (2025). Cell-type-specific contributions to theta-gamma coupled rhythms in the hippocampus. Network Neuroscience, 1-25.
- Hutt, A., Trotter, D., Pariz, A., Valiante, T., & Lefebvre, J. (2024). Diversity-induced trivialization and resilience of neural dynamics. Chaos, 34(1), 013147.
- Hutt, A., Rich, S.* Valiante, T., & Lefebvre, J. (2023). Intrinsic neural diversity quenches the dynamic volatility of balanced neural networks. PNAS, 120(28), e2218841120.
- Pariz, A., Trotter, D., Hutt, A., & Lefebvre, J. (2023). Selective control of synaptic plasticity through tACS in heterogeneous networks. PLOS Computational Biology, 19(4), e1010736.
- Talidou, A., Frankland, P., Mabbott, D., & Lefebvre, J. (2022). Homeostatic coordination and up-regulation of neural activity by activity-dependent myelination. Nature Computational Science, 2, 665–676.
- Rich, S.*, Chameh, H., Lefebvre, J., & Valiante, T. (2022). Loss of neuronal heterogeneity in epileptogenic human tissue renders networks more susceptible to sudden synchrony shifts. Cell Reports, 39(8), 110863.
- Lefebvre, J., Hutt, A., Fröhlich, F. (2017). Stochastic resonance mediates state-dependent effects of periodic stimulation on cortical alpha oscillations. eLife, e32054.
- Hutt, A., Griffiths, J.*, Herrmann, C., & Lefebvre, J. (2018). Effect of stimulation waveform on nonlinear entrainment of cortical alpha oscillations. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 376.
- Bells, S., Lefebvre, J., Prescott, S., Dockstader, C., Bouffet, E., Skocic, J., Laughlin, S., & Mabbott, D. (2017). Changes in white matter microstructure disrupt synchronization and cognition. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(34), 8227–8238.