Luan Tonelli, Ph.D.

Dr. Luan Tonelli is a neuroscientist interested in developing cutting-edge research and screening processes to improve brain health outcomes using several different tools (EEG, FFRs, MRI) that combine translational medicine and exercise science.

As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the ABR LAB in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at UConn, Dr. Tonelli investigates the neural representation of bilingualism in the auditory system and the interplay between bilingualism and auditory system aging.

Previously, as a post-doctoral associate in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Dr. Tonelli used neuromodulation techniques – a brain-computer interface through EEG – to shape and change brain states. This technique uses auditory brain stimulation to modulate the brain’s activation frequency.

Dr. Tonelli completed a degree in Exercise Science in his native country of Brazil and a masters’ degree in Exercise Physiology in Portugal, after which he received his Ph.D. training in Neurobiology and Behavior from the Philipps University of Marburg in Germany. His dissertation examined how auditory stimuli can alter motor function in a preclinical animal model of Parkinson’s disease.