Research
My research focuses on the network mechanisms underlying deep brain stimulation in movement disorders. Combining electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and connectomics, I aim to understand how neuromodulation alters brain network dynamics and how this knowledge can be translated into more effective, personalized therapies.
Deep Brain Stimulation Networks
Investigating how deep brain stimulation modulates large-scale brain networks in Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Using MEG, EEG, and local field potential recordings to characterize the electrophysiological signature of therapeutic stimulation.
Motor Control & Basal Ganglia
Studying the role of cortico-basal ganglia circuits in movement control. Characterizing the hyperdirect pathway and its functional relevance for subthalamic stimulation using electrophysiological and behavioral approaches.
Biomarkers for Neuromodulation
Developing electrophysiological biomarkers to optimize DBS therapy — from beta-band oscillations to evoked cortical responses — aiming for closed-loop and personalized stimulation paradigms.
Network Mapping & Targeting
Applying connectomic and imaging approaches to map therapeutic and side-effect networks in the human brain, enabling more precise targeting of neuromodulation interventions.
Highlights
Early Career Grant
100,000 €
German Parkinson & Movement Disorder Society
2026
MDS Junior Award
2024
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
2024
Parkinson Fellowship
60,000 €
Prof. Dr. Klaus Thiemann Foundation
2022
Postdoctoral Fellow
Harvard Medical School
Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Boston
2023–2024
Curriculum Vitae
Academic training and professional career in movement disorders and neuromodulation.
Education
2013 – 2020
Medical Studies
Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany & University College London, UK
2020
Doctoral Thesis (Dr. med.)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Markus Butz, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Düsseldorf
The influence of deep brain stimulation on sensorimotor speech control in Parkinson's disease
Professional Career
01/2025 – present
Resident Physician
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf
Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Sven Meuth
10/2023 – 12/2024
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Network Stimulation Laboratory, Prof. Dr. Andreas Horn
Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
2020 – 2023
Resident Physician
Outpatient Clinic for DBS, Huntington's Disease & Movement Disorders
Center for Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation, Prof. Dr. Alfons Schnitzler, University Hospital Düsseldorf
2022 – 2023
Resident Physician
Stroke Unit & Emergency Department, Department of Neurology
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Sven Meuth, University Hospital Düsseldorf
2020 – 2022
Postdoctoral Researcher
TRR295 – Retuning motor network disorders using neuromodulation (DFG)
Prof. Dr. Esther Florin, Prof. Dr. Alfons Schnitzler, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf
Scholarships & Awards
2026
Early Career Grant 2026
German Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society – 100,000 €
2026
Science Prize 2026
German Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society – 2,500 €
2025
DGN Poster Prize 2025
German Neurological Society Congress, Berlin
2025
Junior Lecture Award 2025
TRR 295 Retune Fall School
2024
MDS Junior Award 2024
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
2022
Parkinson-Fellowship 2022
Prof. Dr. Klaus Thiemann Foundation, Potsdam – 60,000 €
2017 – 2020
Student Scholarship
Cusanuswerk – Bischöfliche Studienförderung, Germany
2017 – 2018
Alumnus
Dialogue Perspectives Program, Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk
Teaching
2023 – present
Bed side teaching
28 hours/semester, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf
2023 – present
Student Seminar 'Movement Disorders'
2 hours/semester, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf
2023/2024
Guest Speaker – DBS Academy Düsseldorf
DBS in Dystonia, MER and LFP: Basics, How would you decide? DBS case presentations
Academic & Social Service
2021 – 2023
Elected Member of the Faculty Council
Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf
2023 – present
Early Career Committee
TRR295, German Research Foundation (DFG)
2018 – 2020
Spokesperson
Cusanuswerk Scholarship Group Düsseldorf/Mönchengladbach
2018 – 2020
Spokesperson
Student Initiative 'Awareness Organ Donation', HHU Düsseldorf
2017 – 2020
Spokesperson
Café Abraham – Religious Dialogue Forum, HHU Düsseldorf
Society Memberships
- ▸International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)
- ▸Arbeitsgemeinschaft Tiefe Hirnstimulation (AG THS), Germany
- ▸Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Neurophysiologie und Funktionelle Bildgebung (DGKN) e.V.
- ▸Deutsche Gesellschaft für Parkinson und Bewegungsstörungen e.V. (DPG)
Peer Review
Ad hoc reviewer for:
Invited Talks
- ▸Lab meeting, Litvak Lab, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK (2025)
- ▸Lab meeting, Dosenbach Lab, Washington University in St. Louis, USA (2025)
- ▸Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank XII, Gainesville, FL, USA (2024)
- ▸MDS Presidential Lecture, Philadelphia, PA, USA (2024)
- ▸Stimulating Brains Talk Series, Boston, MA, USA (2024)
Publications
Peer-reviewed articles in international journals.
2026
Bahners BH, Goede LL, Zvarova P, …, Horn A
The deep brain stimulation response network in Parkinson's disease operates in the high beta band
Brain · 10.1093/brain/awaf445
Bahners BH, Lofredi R, Voss H, …, Kühn A
Spatial signature of low-frequency network changes accounts for pallidal stimulation outcome in cervical dystonia
EBioMedicine · 10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106140
Zvarova P, van der Linden C, …, Bahners BH, …, Horn A
Multimodal Image Guidance in Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease
Annals of Neurology · 10.1002/ana.78206
2025
Butenko K, Neudorfer C, …, Bahners BH, ..., Horn A
Engaging the dystonia network with subthalamic stimulation
PNAS · 10.1073/pnas.2417617122
Goede LL, Al-Fatly B, …, Bahners BH, …, Horn A
Toward a unified tremor network
Nature Communications · 10.1038/s41467-025-50176-8
Goede LL, Zvarova P, Bahners BH, Horn A
Patient Selection in Deep Brain Stimulation: A role for transcranial direct current stimulation to enhance the Levodopa Challenge?
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology · 10.1002/acn6.70004
Hart LA, Warren AEL, ..., Bahners BH, …, Meyer G
Deep brain stimulation for epilepsy: optimal targeting and clinical outcomes
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry · 10.1136/jnnp-2025-337218
Hofacker J, Bahners BH, Huber C, …, Labeit B
Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease: Mechanisms, Evidence, and Outlook
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1734432
Madan S, Hart LA, …, Bahners BH, ..., Horn A
Lead-Tutor: An open-access educational resource for deep brain stimulation electrode localizations
Aperture Neuro · 10.52294/001c.129658
Martinez-Nunez AE, Rozell CJ, … Bahners BH, ..., Wong J
Proceedings of the 12th annual deep brain stimulation think tank: cutting edge technology meets novel applications
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1544994
Minnerop M, Reinhardt A, …, Bahners BH, …, Schnitzler A
Long-Term Benefit of Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in POLR3A Mutation-Associated Action Tremor
Movement Disorders Clinical Practice · 10.1002/mdc3.70002
Molinari VDM, Sure M, ..., Bahners BH, … Hartmann C
Subthalamic beta peak power ratio as an electrophysiological marker for deep brain stimulation contact selection in Parkinson's disease
Neurological Research and Practice · 10.1186/s42466-025-00441-9
Rassoulou F, Sharma A, …, Bahners BH, …, Hirschmann J
Electrophysiological signatures predict the therapeutic window of deep brain stimulation electrode contacts
npj Digital Medicine · 10.1038/s41746-025-02089-w
Schönwald H, Bahners BH*, Kannenberg S, …, Groiss S
Antero-lateral subthalamic nucleus theta stimulation improves verbal fluency in Parkinson's disease
Movement Disorders · 10.1002/mds.30185(*corresponding author)
Yalaz M, Höft M, …, Bahners BH, …, Deuschl G
Detection of Deep Brain Stimulation Electrode Position and Orientation in Patients Using Magnetoencephalography
Clinical Neurophysiology · 10.1016/j.clinph.2025.02.265
2024
Bahners BH, Lofredi R, Sander T, … Florin E
Deep brain stimulation device-specific artefacts in MEG recordings
Brain Stimulation · 10.1016/j.brs.2024.01.005
Bahners BH, Goede LL, Meyer GM, …, Horn A
Evoked response signatures explain deep brain stimulation outcomesPreprint
MedRxiv · 10.1101/2024.10.04.24314308(Preprint)
Spooner RK, Hizli BJ, Bahners BH, … Florin E
Modulation of DBS-induced cortical responses and movement by the directionality and magnitude of current administered
npj Parkinson's Disease · 10.1038/s41531-024-00663-9
Spooner RK, Bahners BH, Schnitzler A, Florin E
Time-resolved Quantification of Fine Hand Movements as a Proxy for Evaluating Bradykinesia-induced Motor Dysfunction
Scientific Reports · 10.1038/s41598-024-55862-4
2023
Bahners BH, Spooner RK, Hartmann CJ, …, Florin E
Subthalamic stimulation evoked cortical responses relate to motor performance in Parkinson's disease
Brain Stimulation · 10.1016/j.brs.2023.02.014
Busch JL, Kaplan J, Bahners BH, …, Kühn A
Local field potentials predict motor performance in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease
Movement Disorders · 10.1002/mds.29626
Habets JGV, Spooner RK, … Bahners BH, …, Kühn A
A First Methodological Development and Validation of ReTap: An Open-Source UPDRS Finger Tapping Assessment Tool Based on Accelerometer-Data
Sensors · 10.3390/s23115238
Spooner RK, Bahners BH, Schnitzler A, Florin E
DBS-evoked cortical responses index optimal contact orientations and motor outcomes in Parkinson's disease
npj Parkinson's Disease · 10.1038/s41531-023-00474-4
2022
Bahners BH, Waterstraat G, Kannenberg S, …, Florin E
Electrophysiological characterization of the hyperdirect pathway and its functional relevance for subthalamic deep brain stimulation
Experimental Neurology · 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114031
Feldmann LK, Lofredi R, … Bahners BH, …, Kühn A
Toward therapeutic electrophysiology: beta-band suppression as a biomarker in chronic local field potential recordings
npj Parkinson's Disease · 10.1038/s41531-022-00301-2
2020
Bahners BH, Florin E, Rohrhuber J, …, Butz M
Deep brain stimulation does not modulate auditory-motor integration of speech in Parkinson's disease
Frontiers in Neurology · 10.3389/fneur.2020.00655
Contact
Get in touch for collaboration, research inquiries, or academic exchange.
Phone
+49 (0) 173 7000 449Affiliation
Center for Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation
Department of Neurology & Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology
Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University
Düsseldorf, Germany
University Hospital Düsseldorf
Heinrich-Heine-University