CV Alexandre Legros

My scientific interests relate to the impact and the implications of specific electric and/or magnetic non-invasive stimulations applied to the human brain. These stimulations can be delivered using different modalities such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), transcranial Direct or Alternating Electric Stimulation (tDCS or tACS), or via experimental technologies using time-varying magnetic fields to induce electric fields able to modulate endogenous physiological electric activity in brain structures. I terms of outcomes, I have thoroughly studied the impact of these stimulations on various aspects of human motor control (voluntary and involuntary), cognitive functions (memory and attention) and neurophysiological responses (e.g. Electroencephalography – EEG. In current projects supported by several industry partners (Hydro-Quebec, Electricité de France - EDF, Réseaux de Transport d’électricité – RTE, the Electric Power Research Institute – EPRI, the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry – CRIEPI ; coordinating this international Utilities Threshold Initiative Consortium – UTIC) and conducted in synergy between Canada and France (EuroMov, University of Montpellier), we are investigating the threshold and underlying action mechanisms for acute non-invasive neurostimulation applied either electrically or magnetically. We are studying visual (retinal magnetophospnes), vestibular (balance and vestibulo-ocular responses), EEG (using source reconstruction and source connectivity) and fMRI outcomes in order to establish the minimum stimuli intensity for a given frequency able to trigger a neural, perceptive or a behavioral response. We are also using computational neurosciences to model what sort of stimulus will induce what sort of response on different configurations of neural networks.  The primary purpose of this research is to help provide more accurate and evidence-based guidelines regarding EMF exposure, for both electricity producers and international regulatory bodies. A secondary objective is to explore the potential of using low intensity time-varying electric and magnetic stimuli for translational/therapeutic applications. In regards of the health protection aspects, I am currently co-chairing the subcommittee 3 of IEEE-ICES (exposures limits for 0-3kHz) and in charge of the working group on ‘Merging computational and experimental approaches to resolve uncertainties related to electrostimulation threshold’ within the IEEE ICES subcommittee 6: EMF dosimetry modeling with application to human exposure standards.