Neuroscience and AI (NAI) Team

Overview

Neuroscience and AI (NAI) team is dedicated to advancing medical science through innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration, focusing on practical applications that benefit the healthcare community. We integrate diverse fields such as neuroscience, psychology, engineering, and computer science. By fostering a collaborative environment, we encourage the exchange of ideas and expertise to drive impactful research.

Our Objectives

Develop cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic tools to address pressing health challenges.
Enhance the understanding of complex physiological and neurological processes.
Translate scientific discoveries into tools that will improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Primary Research Areas

Neuroscience and Neurotechnology – neural recordings and stimulation, electrophysiology, spatial navigation, neural dynamics and development of advanced neurotechnologies.
Biomedical Signals, Speech and Digital Biomarkers – EEG, ECG, speech, movement and other physiological signals for diagnosis, monitoring and personalised healthcare.
Sleep, Dreaming and Neurophysiology – polysomnography, lucid dreaming, wearable EEG, dream-affect modelling and machine-learning approaches to sleep and nightmare research.
AI and Computational Modelling – machine learning, predictive algorithms and computational modelling of neural, clinical, psychological and behavioural data.
Psychiatry, Neurodegenerative Disorders and Therapeutics – schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, epilepsy, ageing, biomarkers and development/evaluation of therapeutic approaches.
Affective and Behavioural Computing – emotion, biometrics and behavioural analysis, including applications in human-computer interaction, healthcare and AI-enabled medical education.

Coordinator

Vered Aharonson, MSc, PhD
- Professor of Medical Physics and Electrical Engineering, Lead of the Digital Healthcare Stream at UNIC Medical School

Members

Michael Davidson PhD
- Professor of Psychiatry
Aleksandar Jovanovic PhD, MD
- Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Nicoletta Nicolaou PhD
- Associate Professor in Cybernetics and Control Engineering
Achilleas Pavlou MSc, PhD
- Lecturer in Psychology and Clinical Communication Skills
Nikolas Perentos PhD
- Assistant Professor Neuroscience

Selected Publications

Katson M, Lazebnik T, Har-Even M, Glebov M, Naamnih F, Sinai A, Nassar M, Senderova I, Constantinescu M, Tov LL, Aharonson V and Schlesinger I (2026) Less is more: comparison of automated spiral-drawing metrics with clinician-rated tremor scores after MRgFUS thalamotomy. Front. Neurol. 17:1848802. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1848802
Loizou S, Aharonson V, Hajigeorgiou PG. Use and Perceptions of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools Among First-Year Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2026;17:622875
https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S622875
Valiantis S, Perentos N, Koupparis AM, Hadjipapas A, Papacostas SS, Kousiappa I. (2026). Fine motor function deficits in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Behavioural Brain Research, 504, 116097. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116097.
Botchway BOA, Kousiappa I, Koupparis A, Papacostas S, Georgiades S, Bashiardes S, Hadjisavvas A, Loucaides G, Adamou A, Christou Y, Panayiotidis MI, Jovanovic A, Nicolaou N. (2026). From brain waves to heartbeats: Exploring the combined role of electroencephalography and heart-rate variability in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and management. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 111(1), 5-31. doi: 10.1177/13872877261428636.
Toumazi D, Charalambous C, Constantinou C, Nicolaou N. (2026). From the gut to the brain: The involvement of the gut microbiota in the development and progression of glioblastoma. Neuro-Oncology Advances, 8(1), vdaf267. doi: 10.1093/noajnl/vdaf267.
Coutts M, et al., including Davidson M. (2026). When and why do psychosis patients discontinue antipsychotics? A data-driven approach using artificial intelligence. Neuroscience Applied, 5.
Cohen N, Weberloff N, Davidson M and Weiser M. (2026). Cognitive decline in psychotic disorders: A longitudinal matched case-control study. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 26.
Davidson M, Stanciu D, Rabinowitz J, Untu I, Dobrin RP, Tamba BI. (2025). Exploring novel therapeutic strategies: Could psychedelic perspectives offer promising solutions for Alzheimer’s disease comorbidities? Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 27(1), 1-12.
Untu I, Davidson M, Stanciu G-D, Rabinowitz J, Dobrin R-P, Vieru D-S, Tamba B-I. (2025). Neurobiological and therapeutic landmarks of depression associated with Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 17, 1584607.
Garcia-Vite TK, Pavlou A, Pari C, Foulsham T, Cooper NR. (2026). Resting-state EEG microstates across a dimensional spectrum of autistic traits: From typical development to diagnosed ASD. Behavioural Brain Research, 505, 116105. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116105.
Angotzi GN, Voroslakos M, Perentos N, et al. (2025). Multi-Shank 1024 Channels Active SiNAPS Probe for Large Multi-Regional Topographical Electrophysiological Mapping of Neural Dynamics. Advanced Science, 12(16), 2416239.

Aharonson, V., Lazebnik, T., Sinai, A., Nassar, M., Senderova, I., Constantinescu, M., Tov, L.L. and Schlesinger, I., 2025. Novel Objective Tool to Assess Tremor Reveals Unilateral Focused Ultrasound Improves Tremor Bilaterally. Neurology and Therapy, pp.1-10; https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-024-00705-7
Aharonson, V., Lazebnik, T., Sinai, A., Nassar, M., Senderova, I., Constantinescu, M., Tov, L.L. and Schlesinger, I., 2025. Novel Objective Tool to Assess Tremor Reveals Unilateral Focused Ultrasound Improves Tremor Bilaterally. Neurology and Therapy, pp.1-10; https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-024-00705-7
Kovac, D., Mekyska, J., Aharonson, V., Harar, P., Galaz, Z., Rapcsak, S., Orozco-Arroyave, J.R., Brabenec, L. and Rektorova, I., (2024) Exploring Digital Speech Biomarkers of Hypokinetic Dysarthria in a Multilingual Cohort. Biomedical signal processing and control 88 (2) 105667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2023.105667
Mota-Rolim, S. A., Pavlou, A., Nascimento, G. C., Fontenele-Araujo, J., & Ribeiro, S. (2019). Portable devices to induce lucid dreams—are they reliable?. Frontiers in neuroscience, 13, 459918.
Hadjipapas A, Charalambous CC, Roberts MJ. Editorial: Why the exact frequencies in our brains matter: Perspectives from electrophysiology and brain stimulation. Front Syst Neurosci. 2023 Jan 4;16:1121438. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1121438.

Collaborations

The NAI team collaborates with a prolific national and international network, including the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, and Stichting VU in the Netherlands, Halmstad University and Halland Medical Center, Sweden, Tampere University and Hospital & Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Finland, Magdeburg University, Germany, Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain, Montpellier University, France, Belgrade University, Serbia, University of Essex & Dundee University in the UK, National University of Ireland Galway, Tel Aviv University and Sheba, Rambam, and Rabin medical centres in Israel, and Northeastern University, Boston Medical School, Boston, USA.

Facilities and Resources
The team utilises facilities within UNIC and its collaborating institutes, from cell culture facilities and equipment to electrophysiology and imaging facilities, as well as access to patients at the University Medical Centre and adjunct hospitals and collaborators.

Centre of Neuroscience and Integrative Brain Research (CENIBRE)

The aim of CENIBRE is to investigate the nervous system in health and disease, and develop novel preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve neurological and mental health. An interdisciplinary approach, a unique mix of expertise, the application of state-of-the-art technologies and innovative data analysis will be the main attributes of the Centre.

The Centre builds on the integration of broad but complementary expertise of its founding members ranging from fundamental cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal signaling all the way to behavioural and wider determinants of population health and wellbeing.