![Mahmoud Abdellahi](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/8003?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Mahmoud Abdellahi
(he/him)
Teams and roles for Mahmoud Abdellahi
Research Associate
Overview
My research focuses on understanding how memories are processed during sleep. I use targeted memory reactivation (TMR) techniques, where sounds associated with specific memories are replayed during sleep to trigger their reactivation. By combining EEG recordings with machine learning, I've developed methods to detect when memories are being reactivated in the sleeping brain.
I'm particularly interested in how different types of memories are processed during various sleep stages. My work has examined the reactivation of motor sequences during slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, as well as how emotional context affects memory processing during sleep.
Recently, I've been exploring how the emotional content of memories influences their reactivation patterns, and whether these patterns are consistent across different individuals.
I also work on deep learning and teach AI at Cairo University and collaborate with researchers from different universities, combining neuroscience, psychology, and computational approaches in my work.
Publication
2024
- Rakowska, M., Bagrowska, P., Lazari, A., Navarrete, M., Abdellahi, M., Johansen-Berg, H. and Lewis, P. A. 2024. Cueing memory reactivation during NREM sleep engenders long-term plasticity in both brain and behaviour. Imaging Neuroscience 2, pp. 1-21. (10.1162/imag_a_00250)
2023
- Abdellahi, M., Koopman, A., Treder, M. and Lewis, P. 2023. Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation. eLife 12, article number: e84324. (10.7554/elife.84324)
- Abdellahi, M. E. A., Koopman, A. C. M., Treder, M. S. and Lewis, P. A. 2023. Targeting targeted memory reactivation: characteristics of cued reactivation in sleep. NeuroImage 266, article number: 119820. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119820)
2021
- Rakowska, M., Abdellahi, M. E., Bagrowska, P., Navarrete, M. and Lewis, P. A. 2021. Long term effects of cueing procedural memory reactivation during NREM sleep. NeuroImage 244, article number: 118573. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118573)
- Hutchinson, I. C., Pezzoli, S., Tsimpanouli, M., Abdellahi, M. E. A., Pobric, G., Hulleman, J. and Lewis, P. A. 2021. Targeted memory reactivation in REM but not SWS selectively reduces arousal responses. Communications Biology 4, article number: 404. (10.1038/s42003-021-01854-3)
Articles
- Rakowska, M., Bagrowska, P., Lazari, A., Navarrete, M., Abdellahi, M., Johansen-Berg, H. and Lewis, P. A. 2024. Cueing memory reactivation during NREM sleep engenders long-term plasticity in both brain and behaviour. Imaging Neuroscience 2, pp. 1-21. (10.1162/imag_a_00250)
- Abdellahi, M., Koopman, A., Treder, M. and Lewis, P. 2023. Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation. eLife 12, article number: e84324. (10.7554/elife.84324)
- Abdellahi, M. E. A., Koopman, A. C. M., Treder, M. S. and Lewis, P. A. 2023. Targeting targeted memory reactivation: characteristics of cued reactivation in sleep. NeuroImage 266, article number: 119820. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119820)
- Rakowska, M., Abdellahi, M. E., Bagrowska, P., Navarrete, M. and Lewis, P. A. 2021. Long term effects of cueing procedural memory reactivation during NREM sleep. NeuroImage 244, article number: 118573. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118573)
- Hutchinson, I. C., Pezzoli, S., Tsimpanouli, M., Abdellahi, M. E. A., Pobric, G., Hulleman, J. and Lewis, P. A. 2021. Targeted memory reactivation in REM but not SWS selectively reduces arousal responses. Communications Biology 4, article number: 404. (10.1038/s42003-021-01854-3)
Biography
I am currently a researcher at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), where I investigate the neural mechanisms of memory consolidation during sleep. My research combines EEG recordings with advanced machine learning techniques to detect memory reactivation in the sleeping brain.
Previously, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher at University College London (UCL) exploring the engineering of sound stimuli for maximising response and EEG methods that uses machine learning for detecting certain auditory system responses.
I completed my PhD at Cardiff University, developing classification approaches to identify different types of memory reactivation during sleep. My doctoral work resulted in publications examining how memories are reprocessed during different sleep stages, with particular focus on targeted memory reactivation in both slow-wave and REM sleep.
Before my PhD studies, I earned my MSc in Computer Science from Cairo University, where I specialized in machine learning applications for brain-computer interfaces. I obtained my BSc from the Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence - Cairo University.
Contact Details
Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ