Doctoral students
Name
Supervisors
Research Project
| Research Project |
Authorship and Control of Thoughts
My PhD projects aims to investigate the neural signature of two philosophically-based concepts characterizing our thoughts: authorship and control. I focus on the investigation of intrusive and inserted thoughts as common thought disturbances observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. While the experience of both intrusive and inserted thoughts is associated with a lack of thought control, only inserted thoughts in schizophrenia are additionally characterized by a lack of authorship. The neuroscientific investigation of the neural networks underlying the phenomena of authorship and control of thoughts in general and its impairments in OCD and schizophrenia is the main focus of my project. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Volkswagen Foundation |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen |
| M&B Topics | Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Diplom-Psychologin |
| Institute | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Psychology |
| Phone | +49 30 2093-4823 |
| nele.adler-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Prof. Dr. Peter Frensch
Prof. Dr. Peter Frensch
Brand upon the brain: spatiotemporal profile of cortical processing associated with somatosensory awareness
| Research Project |
Brand upon the brain: spatiotemporal profile of cortical processing associated with somatosensory awareness
The neuronal correlates of somatosensory awareness, in comparison to those of visual awareness, remain largely unknown. The intended research offers an extensive investigation into the spatiotemporal characteristics of the cortical processing underlying our being aware of somatosensory stimuli. EEG and fMRI studies using a masking paradigm should uncover the detailed time course of activation flow between relevant cortical areas. A parallel EEG study in somatosensory illusions should better our understanding of the involvement of primary and higher somatosensory areas in perceptual awareness. These experiments can lead to a follow-up TMS study investigating the causal role of interactions between lower and higher processing stages giving rise to somatosensory awareness. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Dr. Felix Blankenburg Prof. Dr. Peter Frensch |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | MSc Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands); MA Psychology (Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza, Poznań, Poland). |
| Institute | Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience |
| Phone | |
| ryszard.auksztulewicz-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Niko Busch
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Mechanisms of visual object representations in change blindness and change detection
| Research Project |
Mechanisms of visual object representations in change blindness and change detection
In everyday life, e.g. in a traffic situation, it is necessary to perceive changes in our environment reliably. But sometimes we fail, maybe by instability of our visual processing system. Using the change blindness paradigm, I am investigating differences and similarities of consciously and unconsciously processed changes and how different types of awareness are linked to changes of simple visual feature and semantic context. Additionally, I will use EEG as well as behavioral methods, to reveal new information on neural mechanisms behind change blindness and visual scene perception. |
|---|---|
| Funding | DFG project funds |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Niko Busch Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | Diplom, Neuroscience (Univ. Magdeburg) |
| Institute | Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Medizinische Psychologie; Humboldt -niversität zu Berlin, Institut für Psychologie |
| Phone | |
| felix.ball-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Michael Brecht
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Rat social touch: a behavioral and neurophysiological study
| Research Project |
Rat social touch: a behavioral and neurophysiological study
Whisking is essential for rat somatosensation; in our lab it has been observed that it is also performed in social contexts. In the behavioral part of the project I am planning to describe in more detail its characteristics and investigate possible functions in communication. These paradigms are to be adopted for electrophysiological single-unit recordings, with the short-term goal of finding social whisking-related somatosensory signals. In the long run, the aim is to find in the rat brain the neuronal representations of other rats on the somatosensory or multisensory level. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Michael Brecht Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | Diplom, Biology (Universität Bochum) |
| Institute | Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience; Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| evgeny.bobrov-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | http://www.activetouch.de |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek
Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Competition in language production: Information retrieval and response selection in the human cognitive system.
| Research Project |
Competition in language production: Information retrieval and response selection in the human cognitive system.
The project has two main objectives, both based in the field of competition in language production. First, I investigate whether interference effects take place at an early or a late processing stage of the language production process, i.e. when the word is being retrieved from the mental lexicon or when the response has to be selected, prior to articulation. Furthermore, by comparing two different cognitive core systems – object recognition and numeral cognition - I investigate whether these findings are domain- and task-specific. |
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| Funding | |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | M.A. (HU Berlin), Dipl.-Psych. (TU Berlin) |
| Institute | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin & Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig |
| Phone | +49 30 2093-9618 |
| hannah.bohle-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Manfred Krifka
Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
Interplay between semantic verb class and animacy in representation building
| Research Project |
Interplay between semantic verb class and animacy in representation building
My project is situated at the interface of syntax, semantics and the lexicon, and focuses on the interplay between different syntactic and semantic factors in the processing of transitive sentences. Transitive sentences describe situations involving two or more participants, and the animacy status of the participants is known to give important cues for sentence parsing. I will investigate how the use of this animacy-related information interacts with the verb's syntactic and semantic properties, using a number of psycholinguistic techniques such as reading time studies, eye tracking and EEG measurements. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Funding by ZAS |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Manfred Krifka Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | Diplom Biochemistry (Freie Universität Berlin) |
| Institute | Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin |
| Phone | |
| anna.czypionka-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | http://www.linguistik.hu-berlin.de/institut/mitarbeiter/mita... |
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Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
The neurocognition of language – disentangling neural language processing streams
| Research Project |
The neurocognition of language – disentangling neural language processing streams
Using fMRI and DTI with language stimuli, I will try to disentangle functional processing streams for language. Different parcellations within the dorsal stream, as well as different underlying functions will be investigated in a within-subject design. Syntactically complex and simple structures serve as stimuli in comprehension and repetition. |
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| Funding | Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | M.A. in German Language Studies, Psychology and History of Arts, Freiburg University |
| Institute | Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; Institut für Psychologie, Universität Leipzig |
| Phone | |
| Homepage | |
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Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
How are sentences connected in the brain: Logic and syntax in the brain
| Research Project |
How are sentences connected in the brain: Logic and syntax in the brain
My project explores the controversial boundary between language and logic. A number of neuroscientists have considered reasoning independent from the language faculty. However, both the singularity of human language and its processing demands are strong arguments in favour of its role in cognitive ability. I will focus on sentence connectors (eg. and, if, because), the words that allow us to link ideas in speech and indirectly reflect logical reasoning. Using fMRI I intend to show the contribution of these words to language processing, separating different aspects of connectors: syntax, semantics and underlying logical form. |
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| Funding | Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 3: Language Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | MD, MSc in Biomedical Sciences |
| Institute | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin & Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig |
| Phone | +49 176 38202115 |
| goucha-please remove this text-@cbs.mpg.de | |
| Homepage | http://www.cbs.mpg.de/staff/goucha-11684 |
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Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Probing the neural correlates of consciousness
| Research Project |
Probing the neural correlates of consciousness
The investigation of the neural correlates of visual consciousness has received considerable attention in the last decade, mainly due to the rise of functional imaging and the development of new psychophysical techniques to isolate consciousness-related processes. Nevertheless, these approaches rely on underlying presumptions that remain elusive: How is conscious processing different from unconscious processing? Does the correlated brain signal actually encode the identity of the presented stimuli? To what degree are "consciousness paradigms" reliable? Masking paradigms will be combined with signal detection theory and multivariate pattern decoding in functional imaging to approach these questions. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship (until May 2009); Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (from June 2009) |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | B.Sc., M.Sc. |
| Institute | Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin |
| Phone | +49 30 34081511 |
| martin.hebart-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Niko Busch
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
The interplay between time perception, attention and conscious perception
| Research Project |
The interplay between time perception, attention and conscious perception
My research focuses on subjective duration perception and its underlying mechanisms. As humans lack a sensory organ for the perception of time, duration judgements are highly influenced by the sensory content of the relevant time interval. In my research project I am exploring the interplay between mechanisms related to conscious and pre-conscious perception of visual stimuli and the perception of stimulus duration. Throughout my PhD work, different methods (behavioral, psychophysics, EEG) will be used to gain insights on the nature of subjective time perception and its underlying neural mechanisms. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Niko Busch Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | Dipl.Psych, M.Sc. |
| Institute | Institute of Medical Psychology, CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| sophie.herbst-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Neuronal correlates of impulsivity in patients with an impared impulse control
| Research Project |
Neuronal correlates of impulsivity in patients with an impared impulse control
Different groups of psychiatric patients (e.g. ADHD patients, pathological gamblers, alcoholics) share at least one core feature: impulsivity. Impulsive behavior is characterized by low self-control. Difficulties in overcoming a temptation in connection with excessive gambling, alcohol and nicotine abuse can be caused by low self-control competencies. Hence, my aim is to investigate neuronal correlates of impulsivity and self-control with the help of different methods (e.g. fMRI) in order to not only improve the comprehension of impulsive and uncontrolled behavior but also help to direct research into more effective ways of treatment such as specific medication and new approach for behavior therapy. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Diploma in Psychology (University of Würzburg, University of Bologna) |
| Institute | Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| saskia.koehler-please remove this text-@psychologie.hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
Prof. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Henrik Walter
Decision making under social influences
| Research Project |
Decision making under social influences
Humans make many everyday decisions in a social context. While a substantial amount of literature has given insight into the brain mechanisms underlying decisions in non-social settings, the processing of social information is less well understood. Using novel behavioural tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), I want to address how information about the surrounding social world is incorporated into the decision process. Specifically, I am interested in how humans process self-related feedback from their peers. In a first step, I want to investigate how feedback valence (i.e. whether participants receive desirable or undesirable social feedback) impacts on self-perception. In a second step, I would like to look into cultural differences in social feedback processing. |
|---|---|
| Funding | |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren Prof. Dr. Henrik Walter |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | MSc Brain and Mind Sciences, University College London, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Univeristé Pierre et Marie Curie; BSc Biomedicine, University Würzburg |
| Institute | Institut für Psychologie, Freie Universität Berlin |
| Phone | |
| christoph.korn-please remove this text-@fu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
The dynamics of body representation
| Research Project |
The dynamics of body representation
Is bodily self-representation purely a process of primary sensorymotor, bottom-up learning processes, or are there additional, possibly innate, top-down influences? The goal of this research project is to investigate the dynamic nature of the so-named body model, focusing on the number, function, and dynamics of different body representations. Of particular interest are somatosensory illusions like the Rubber Hand Illusion, and their neural mechanisms and behavioral correlates. These will be investigated using EEG and fMRI data, and shall be characterized by probabilistic (Bayesian) models. In addition, explicit self-reports shall shed light on the subjective experience of owning and acting a body. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Dr. Felix Blankenburg Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Psychology (Diplom) |
| Institute | Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience; Klinik für Neurologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| Jakub.Limanowski-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Studying the neuronal basis of willpower by means of hypnosis and fMRI
| Research Project |
Studying the neuronal basis of willpower by means of hypnosis and fMRI
In everyday life we often need to resist short-term rewards in order to obtain long-term benefits. For example, we might have to resist the temptation of eating chocolate if we want to lose weight: we need willpower. In my PhD project I investigate the neural mechanisms involved in willpower by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). For this, I will use hypnosis as a research tool to influence the strategies participants use to successfully resist temptations. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | BSc Psychobiology (University of Amsterdam); MSc Human Cognitive Neuropsychology (University of Edinburgh) |
| Institute | Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| vera.ludwig-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Intentions in time: decomposing the neurocognitive architecture of intentions
| Research Project |
Intentions in time: decomposing the neurocognitive architecture of intentions
Can your plan reveal what you intend to do a minute later while you’re currently engaged in performing a different task? To address this question, time based prospective memory tasks executed under endogenous task-switching conditions are examined with fMRI and decoding technologies. Philosophical implications concerning distal intentions, long term planning and the link between temporal agency and responsibility comprise the philosophical body of this interdisciplinary thesis. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | B.Sc. Computer Science, M.Sc. History and Philosophy of Science (Utrecht University) |
| Institute | Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | +49 176 24893669 |
| ida.momennejad-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek
Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek
Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Multimodal investigation of the anatomical and electrophysiological markers for emotional prosody processing deficit in autism: An fMRI, MRI and ERP study
| Research Project |
Multimodal investigation of the anatomical and electrophysiological markers for emotional prosody processing deficit in autism: An fMRI, MRI and ERP study
Prosodic deficits have been found to be directly related to the social skill impairment in autism. Knowing how individuals with autism process affective prosodic information is critical to understanding their social-communicative difficulties and challenging social relationships. The purpose of my research is to determine the anatomical and neurophysiological markers that characterize the impairment of affective prosody in autism. By utilizing fMRI, MRI and ERP techniques I will examine the spatial and temporal activation patterns and the effect size for corpus callosum size differences, related to performance on behavioral tasks of affective prosody. The findings of this research may provide us with knowledge about additional early markers for detection of children at risk for autism. |
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| Funding | |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici Prof. Dr. Katharina Spalek Dr. Isabel Dziobek |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | MA in Speech and Language Pathology – University of Minnesota, USA |
| Institute | Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig |
| Phone | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Reinhold Kliegl
Prof. Dr. Stephan Brandt
Prof. Dr. Stephan Brandt
Inhibitory control in the oculomotor system
| Research Project |
Inhibitory control in the oculomotor system
My project is concerned with the ability to stop unwanted actions. I will focus on inhibitory control of eye movements (saccades and microsaccades). Examining the neural implementation of inhibitory control in the oculomotor system is also a main goal. This will be explored by the simultaneous use of TMS and eyetracking. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Reinhold Kliegl Prof. Dr. Stephan Brandt |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | Diploma Psychology (University of Potsdam) |
| Institute | University of Potsdam; and Vision and Motor Group, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| svenohl-please remove this text-@googlemail.com | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Cortical hub damage in stroke patients and its impact on functional connectivity and behavior
| Research Project |
Cortical hub damage in stroke patients and its impact on functional connectivity and behavior
During my PhD, I will examine the dysfunction of cortical hubs in patients following ischemic stroke with restricted local lesions. Using a resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging paradigm, alterations in spatial coherence of spontaneous activity as well as correlation with behavior will be assessed. Understanding this impact will provide insight into the role of cortical hubs, the impact of hub damage on network connectivity and function, and may provide information useful for the understanding of the severity of symptoms, the rehabilitation and prognosis of these patients. |
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| Funding | Minerva Foundation scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | M.s.c. Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel (supervisor: Prof. R Malach) |
| Institute | Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig |
| Phone | |
| Homepage | |
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| Research Project |
Self-reference and delusions
Delusion is a core symptom in schizophrenia. The aim of my project is to collect high frequent delusional topics and to transform them into stimulus material usable in neuroimaging experiments. This will allow combining subjective experience and neural correlates of psychopathology. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter |
| M&B Topics | Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Diplom, Psychology |
| Institute | Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | 030 450517257 |
| anne.pankow-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Natural autonomy and intentional control
| Research Project |
Natural autonomy and intentional control
What is autonomous agency? I take autonomy to be a natural capacity. My discussion will take into account philosophical analyses as well as empirical research. The capacity to intentionally control one's own performances is understood to be essential for autonomy. I elaborate a conception of intentions as executive mental states, which functioning constitutes the agent's control. Data regarding the neural correlates of intentional control will be examined and used to develop the conception of natural autonomy in more detail. This will contribute to an understanding of autonomous agency and close a gap in the existing theories of natural agency and natural autonomy. |
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| Funding | Volkswagen Stiftung project "Autonomie: Handlungsspielräume des Selbst" |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | MA Philosophy/Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Institute | Institut für Philosophie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | +49 30 64835680 |
| jan.prause-please remove this text-@gmx.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Influences of semantic richness on visual word processing
| Research Project |
Influences of semantic richness on visual word processing
I am interested in how perceptual inputs evoke meaning within the brain. I have used EEG to track the time course of meaning access in visual word perception, and to examine influences of semantic variables on implicit word learning. Prospectively, I aim to investigate whether and how meaning access in reading depends on attention and conscious perception. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer Dr. Felix Blankenburg |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | Diplom-Psychologin (Humboldt-Universität) |
| Institute | Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| milena.rabovsky-please remove this text-@cms.hu-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | http://www.psychologie.hu-berlin.de/prof/bio/mitarb/mit_anz_... |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Testing the hypothesis of isomorphism between mental and neural representational spaces
| Research Project |
Testing the hypothesis of isomorphism between mental and neural representational spaces
There has been a long standing question in the field of the mind/brain sciences whether there is an isomorphic relationship between mental and neural representational spaces. This question goes beyond the question whether conscious thoughts about say objects are encoded in brain activity. For isomorphism to hold also the perceived relations between perceived objects need to be encoded in brain activity. We will study this key issue empirically, using synthetically generated faces to compare psychophysical face-space with the corresponding fMRI voxel-space in which faces are encoded. |
|---|---|
| Funding | CONICYT/DAAD, Mind and Brain partial scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | Master in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience (Universidad de Chile), BA Philosophy (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile) |
| Institute | Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| fernando.ramirez-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Manfred Krifka
Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer
Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer
Electrophysiological reflections of processing linguistic event structure
| Research Project |
Electrophysiological reflections of processing linguistic event structure
In my project, I look at how we use natural language to talk about different kinds of events and the participants involved in these events. Specifically, I focus on the question if an event implies that one of its participants changes in its course: In 'The doctor cured the boy', the verb 'cured' automatically allows to make the inference that something about the boy's state has changed – he underwent a change of state from sick to healthy. In 'The doctor treated the boy', on the other hand, the verb 'treated' leaves quite open if the boy's state has actually changed. Such semantic properties of words referring to events often have quite interesting repercussions on the syntactic level, i.e. on sentence structure. I use different methods like questionnaires, reading times and event related potentials to find out more about how such factors may influence how we process sentences online. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Manfred Krifka Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | M.A. in Linguistics (University of Vienna) |
| Institute | Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of German Language and Linguistics and Department of Psychology; ZAS Berlin (Centre for General Linguistics) |
| Phone | |
| philip.rausch-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Shu-Chen Li, Ph.D.
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
Developmental differences in adaptive social decision-making
| Research Project |
Developmental differences in adaptive social decision-making
Classical economic theories conceptualize humans as perfectly rational decision-makers who aim to maximize utility. However, recent research indicates that decision-making is strongly influenced by the social context of a decision. Especially during child development, action in general and choice behavior in specific is highly sensitive to the social context. The aim of the dissertation project is to investigate these developmental differences during social decision making both at the behavioral and brain level. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Shu-Chen Li, Ph.D. Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny |
| Degrees | Dipl.-Psych. (Humboldt-Universität) |
| Institute | Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Psychology; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin |
| Phone | |
| buritica-please remove this text-@mpib-berlin.mpg.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Priv.-Doz. Dr. Philipp Sterzer
Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz
Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz
Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Schizophrenia: prediction systems regulating conscious perception
| Research Project |
Schizophrenia: prediction systems regulating conscious perception
Internal systems responsible for concept formation have been suggested to be impaired in schizophrenia. Accordingly, many theories of perception argue that the construction of the subjective percept involves making the best sense of sensory inputs based on a set of hypotheses derived from prior knowledge and contextual influences. My research focuses on how spatio-temporally specific prediction systems might be impaired in paranoid schizophrenic patients. Methods: Eye tracking, psychophysics, fMRI |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Priv.-Doz. Dr. Philipp Sterzer Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinz Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | MD, Federal University of Ceará – Fortaleza, Brazil |
| Institute | Klinik für Psychiatrie, CCM, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| lia_sanders-please remove this text-@hotmail.com | |
| Homepage | http://meucerebronarede.blogspot.com/ |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Susanne Erk
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Susanne Erk
Studying gene-environment interaction in depression
| Research Project |
Studying gene-environment interaction in depression
Why do some people become depressed and others don’t? Although there is no doubt that inherited features, such as genetic makeup, and stress both contribute to the manifestation of mental disorders, little is known for certain about disease etiology. In my PhD project, I investigate a potential mechanism of gene-environment interaction relevant to the causation of depression. Further, my project addresses the questions of how and to what extent active mental behavior can modulate the interplay of genes and the environment. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Priv.-Doz. Dr. Susanne Erk |
| M&B Topics | Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Diplom, Psychology (University of Tübingen) |
| Institute | Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| Phone | |
| Phoebe.Schmierer-please remove this text-@charite.de | |
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Prof. Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Curio
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Curio
Mapping Music to the Mind: Brain mechanisms of perceived musical tension
| Research Project |
Mapping Music to the Mind: Brain mechanisms of perceived musical tension
Perceiving tension in music is a multi-faceted process integrating multiple sensory and cognitive aspects that results in a highly personal, often emotional experience in the listener. My PhD project investigates this process by relating neural concomitants of perceived musical tension in EEG to its subjective behavioral assessment and related autonomous vegetative reactions. Approximating a veridical musical experience, my approach aims at identifying a neural signature of perceived tension in a complex musical context and, eventually, tries to track it in real-time closely following the musical flow. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller Prof. Dr. Gabriel Curio |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | Music (Diplom, Performance and pedagogics), Computer science (Diplom) |
| Institute | Technische Universität Berlin, Machine Learning Dept.; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Dept. of Neurology, Neurophysics Group |
| Phone | |
| i-sturm-please remove this text-@web.de | |
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Prof. Dr. Niko Busch
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Ernst Pöppel
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Ernst Pöppel
The temporal structure of conscious perception: continuous or discrete?
| Research Project |
The temporal structure of conscious perception: continuous or discrete?
What is the temporal structure of conscious perception? Is it as continuous as suggested by subjective experience? I suggest that the neural processes underlying conscious perception are discrete in nature and I want to examine how these processes give rise to the continuity of subjective conscious perception. |
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| Funding | |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Niko Busch Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen Prof. Dr. Ernst Pöppel |
| M&B Topics | |
| Degrees | B.A. Neurowissenschaften; M.Sc. Medical Neurosciences |
| Institute | Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| caroline.szymanski-please remove this text-@charite.de | |
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Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Dave Hemsley
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Dave Hemsley
The relationship between selfhood and agency in schizophrenia
| Research Project |
The relationship between selfhood and agency in schizophrenia
I am examining disruptions of agency in schizophrenia using eye tracking tasks, and comparing this to anomalies of self-experience. I am interested in the relationship between the feeling of agency and the experience of pre-reflective self. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen Prof. Dr. Dave Hemsley |
| M&B Topics | Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | BA Philosophy, MSc Philosophy of Mental Disorder, MSc Cognitive Neuroscience |
| Institute | Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| georgina.torbet-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
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Priv.-Doz. Dr. Philipp Sterzer
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
The influence of tactile stimuli on conscious visual perception during binocular rivalry.
| Research Project |
The influence of tactile stimuli on conscious visual perception during binocular rivalry.
Every day, our senses are bombarded with stimuli, which can be from the same or from different modalities. Much research focuses on the question how we become conscious of these stimuli, especially in the visual domain. However, not much is known about how stimuli from different sensory modalities are integrated to give rise to a conscious percept. In my project, I will use behavioural methods and fMRI to investigate the influence of tactile stimuli on conscious visual perception, to contribute to our knowledge of the neural mechanisms behind multisensory integration. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship; initial funding by dr. Hendrik Muller’s Vaderlandsch Fonds |
| Supervisors | Priv.-Doz. Dr. Philipp Sterzer Dr. Felix Blankenburg |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness |
| Degrees | MSc: Dual Masters in Brain and Mind Sciences (University College London, Ecole Normale Supérieure & Université Pierre et Marie Curie) BSc: University College Utrecht (University of Utrecht) |
| Institute | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie |
| Phone | |
| bianca.van.kemenade-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de | |
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Priv.-Doz. Dr. Notger Müller
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Role of Neurotransmitter Dopamine and Acetylcholine during the Interaction of Selective Attention and Working Memory
| Research Project |
Role of Neurotransmitter Dopamine and Acetylcholine during the Interaction of Selective Attention and Working Memory
I will investigate the relationship between working memory and selective attention. Why is there a difference between the memory capacity of individuals? Using fMRI I will examine the correlation between the individual storage capacity of the dopamine dependent working memory and the more cholinergic dependent ability to ignore irrelevant information by means of selective attention. Additionally I will relate different storage and filtering abilities to various polymorphisms. The effect of higher Dopamine and Acetylcholine levels on these abilities will be investigated by drug administration. Young and old healthy people as well as people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease will be tested. |
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| Funding | DFG |
| Supervisors | Priv.-Doz. Dr. Notger Müller Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | Dipl. Biology (University of Bremen) |
| Institute | Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg / German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) |
| Phone | +49 391 6117541 |
| a.vellage-please remove this text-@gmx.de | |
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Prof. Dr. Felix Bermpohl
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Neural substrates of attentional bias in alcoholism
| Research Project |
Neural substrates of attentional bias in alcoholism
Why do people become addicted to alcohol and why is this behaviour so persistent? Both a genetic predisposition and neural changes in motivational and reflective systems of the brain after long-term drug use influence the pathological behaviour of alcoholism. On a molecular level, more and more research reveals that drugs of abuse modulate gene expression in the brain, leading to long lasting epigenetic changes. In my PhD project I study the neural and neurochemical substrates of attention biases that alcoholic patients have for alcohol cues in their environment, and take a closer look at how long-term drinking can modulate genetic make-up. I am also interested in the clinical and neural effects of behavioural treatments - such as emotion regulation strategies -, how neuroimaging techniques can be of use for treatment, and in conceptual shifts in mental health due to neuroscientific research. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship; initial funding by dr. Hendrik Muller’s Vaderlandsch Fonds |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Felix Bermpohl Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter |
| M&B Topics | Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction |
| Degrees | BSc (hons) Psychobiology; BSc Psychology; MSc Psychology, University of Amsterdam |
| Institute | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie |
| Phone | |
| Corinde-please remove this text-@gmail.com | |
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Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Dr. Carlo Riverebi
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Dr. Carlo Riverebi
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Neural Correlates of Self-Regulated Behavior
| Research Project |
Neural Correlates of Self-Regulated Behavior
The vast majority of choices we make every day are self-regulated. We need to decide in environments that change constantly and are often unpredictable; additionally, there are no strong external cues guiding our behavior. Therefore there is a need for self-regulation. We need to monitor changes in relevant environmental variables, like reward contingencies or different task difficulties, and endogenously adapt our behavior in order to perform well. Despite this fact, research in the past has focused on fully determined situations, in which subjects were told precisely which option to choose. In this PhD, we will investigate the interplay of changing environmental variables and endogenous, self-regulated choices in a modified task-switching paradigm. Using fMRI we will investigate the neural correlates of self-regulated choices, and their relation to the representations of task-relevant environmental factors. |
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| Funding | Supervisor |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Dr. Carlo Riverebi Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making |
| Degrees | Dipl.-Psych. (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) |
| Institute | Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin |
| Phone | |
| david.wisniewski-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de | |
| Homepage | |
| CV | |
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Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Exploring the Role of the TPJs in Social Cognition
| Research Project |
Exploring the Role of the TPJs in Social Cognition
Investigating the role of the left and right TPJ in social cognitive tasks. This will involve the use of non-invasive brain stimulations techniques to elucidate neural correlates of social behavior. |
|---|---|
| Funding | Mind and Brain Scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Dr. Felix Blankenburg |
| M&B Topics | Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 6: Human sociality and the brain |
| Degrees | M.Sc. Neural & Behavioral Sciences, Tübingen B.A. Psychology, California State University in Chico |
| Institute | Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
| Phone | |
| andrew.wold-please remove this text-@charite.de | |
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Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Linguistic Complexity in the Left Frontal Cortex
| Research Project |
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Linguistic Complexity in the Left Frontal Cortex
Central aspect of my research is the investigation of the neural substrates of syntactic processing and thematic organization in human sentence comprehension. Using both fMRI and behavioral techniques with non-canonical structures, the (temporo)frontal cortex - and its potential interplay with other annexed subcortical regions showing related operational roles - will be functionally disentangled. |
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| Funding | Mind and Brain scholarship |
| Supervisors | Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger |
| M&B Topics | Topic 3: Language |
| Degrees | BA in Communication Sciences, University of Siena; MA in Linguistics, University of Siena and University of Edinburgh |
| Institute | Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig |
| Phone | +49 157 84472144(mobile) +49 341 99402238(office) |
| zaccarella-please remove this text-@cbs.mpg.de | |
| Homepage | www.cbs.mpg.de/staff/zaccarella-11456 |
| CV | |
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