Julio C. Hernandez Pavon, Ph.D., D.Sc.

Contact Information

Office: BH 421

Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory

Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity (CNAP):

Research Interests

I hold two doctoral degrees, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering from Aalto University, Finland, and a second Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Guanajuato University, Mexico. I received my master’s degree from the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I possess a wide range of skills, including cognitive and computational neuroscience, brain stimulation, neuroimaging, brain modeling, and signal analysis processing. I am world-wide expert on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electroencephalography (EEG). In my research, I use TMS to probe the human brain and EEG to record the causal brain activity induced by TMS. I also work with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging, and peripheral electrical stimulation.

My research focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms of human brain connectivity and developing new approaches to induce neuroplasticity. I am interested in conducting basic and clinical research. I am also interested in motor and language disorders and developing new therapies for post-stroke patients and patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Representative Publications

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Veniero D, Bergmann TO, Belardinelli P, Bortoletto M, Casarotto S, Casula E, Farzan F, Fecchio M, Julkunen P, Kallioniemi E, Lioumis P, Metsomaa J, Miniussi C, Mutanen TP, Rocchi L, Rogasch NC, Shafi MM, Siebner HR, Thut G, Zrenner C, Ziemann U, Ilmoniemi RJ. TMS Combined with EEG: R ecommendations and Open Issues for Data Collection and Analysis. Brain Stimulation 2023, 16(2):567-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2023.02.009

Hernandez-Pavon JC, San Agustín A, Wang M, Veniero D, Pons JL. Can we manipulate brain connectivity? A systematic review of cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation effects. Clinical Neurophysiology 2023, 154:169-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2023.06.016

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Schneider N, Begnoche P, Miller LE, Raij T. Targeted modulation of human brain interregional effective connectivity with spike-timing dependent plasticity. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface 2023, 26(4):745-754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurom.2022.10.045

Ozturk M, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Kent A, Pons JL, Telkes I, Tarakad A. Editorial: Peripheral stimulation: neuromodulation of the central nervous system through existing pathways. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2023 17:1285474. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1285474

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Kugiumtzis D, Zrenner C, Kimiskidis VK, Metsomaa J. Removing artifacts from TMS-evoked EEG: A methods review and a unifying theoretical framework. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 2022. 376:109591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109591

Bortoletto M, Veniero D, Julkunen P, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Mutanen TP, Zazio A, Bagattini C. T4TE: Team for TMS‒EEG to improve reproducibility through an open collaborative initiative. Brain Stimulation 2022, 16(1):20-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2022.12.004

Guzman Lopez J*, Hernandez-Pavon JC*, Lioumis P, Mäkelä JP, Silvanto J. State-dependent TMS effects in the visual cortex after visual adaptation: a combined TMS–EEG study. Clinical Neurophysiology2022. 134:129-136. *Equal authorship. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2021.08.020

Short MR*, Hernandez-Pavon JC*, Jones A, Pons JL. EEG hyperscanning in motor rehabilitation: a position paper. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2021, 18(1):98. *Equal authorship. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-021-00892-6

Pascual-Valdunciel A, Hoo G, Avrillon S, Barroso FO, Goldman JG, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Pons JL. Peripheral electrical stimulation to reduce pathological tremor: a review. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2021, 18(1):33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-021-00811-9

Wen Y, Avrillon S, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Kim SJ, Hug F, Pons JL. A convolutional neural network to identify motor units from high-density surface electromyography signals in real-time. Journal of Neural Engineering 2021, 18:(5). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/abeead

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Harvey RL. Non-invasive Transcranial Magnetic Brain Stimulation in Stroke. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 2019, 30:319–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2018.12.010

Rogasch NC, Sullivan C, Thomson RH, Rose NS, Bailey NW, Fitzgerald PB, Farzan F, Hernandez-Pavon JC. Analysing concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalographic data: A review and introduction to the open-source TESA software. NeuroImage 2017, 147:934-951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.10.031

Tugin S*, Hernandez-Pavon JC*, Ilmoniemi RJ, Nikulin VV. Visual deviant stimuli produce mismatch responses in the amplitude dynamics of neuronal oscillations. NeuroImage 2016, 142:645-655. *Equal authorship. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.07.024

Ilmoniemi RJ, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Mäkelä NN, Metsomaa J, Mutanen TP, Stenroos M, Sarvas J. Dealing with artifacts in TMS-evoked EEG. Conf Proc IEEE Engineering in Medicine Biology Society 2015, 2015:230-233. https://doi.org/10.1109/embc.2015.7318342

Bailey NW, Thomson RH, Hoy KE, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Fitzgerald PB. Commentary regarding: TDCS increases cortical excitability: Direct evidence from TMS-EEG . Cortex 2014, 74:320-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2014.10.022

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Mäkelä N, Lehtinen H, Lioumis P, MäkeläJP. Effects of navigated TMS on object and action naming. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014, 8:1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00660

Rogasch NC, Thomson RH, Farzan F, Fitzgibbon BM, Bailey NW, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Daskalakis Z J, Fitzgerald PB. Removing artifacts from TMS-EEG recordings using independent component analysis: importance for assessing prefrontal cortex network properties. NeuroImage 2014, 101:425–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.07.037

Hernandez-Pavon JC, Metsomaa J, Mutanen T, Stenroos M, Mäki H, Ilmoniemi RJ, Sarvas J. Uncovering neural independent components from highly artifactual TMS-evoked EEG data. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 2012, 209:144–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.05.029

Korhonen R, Hernandez-Pavon JC, Metsomaa J, Mäki H, Ilmoniemi RJ, Sarvas J. Removal of large muscle artifacts from transcranial magnetic stimulation-evoked EEG by independent component analysis. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing 2011, 49:397–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-011-0748-9