Projects
Oscillatory activity in large-scale brain networks and its relevance to behavior KU Leuven
Large part of cerebral processes associated with our actions and thoughts is implemented through synchronised oscillations of group of neurons in distant brain regions. So far, the understanding of oscillatory activity in large-scale brain networks is far from complete, concerning both the phenomena and biological function. Our main goal is to address this issue, and to better understand the link between long-range neuronal synchronisation ...
An improved spatio-temporal localisation of epileptic brain activity. KU Leuven
odulating memory consolidation with non-invasive brain stimulation: a multimodal neuroimaging investigation . KU Leuven
Motor memory is the capacity that allows the development of skills that are essential for daily life activities such as typing on a keyboard or playing an instrument. During the initial motor sequence learning (MSL) phase, performance improves quickly with repeated practice. This process is supported by at least two brain networks, i.e., the hippocampo- and striato-cortical networks. Interestingly, it has been shown that brain responses in ...
Individual variability in functional human brain organization Ghent University
No two humans are alike. Since our personality, behaviour and cognitive skills are governed by the brain, one would be equally hard-pressed to find two human brains that are completely identical. Yet virtually every functional neuroimaging study aggregates brain scans across all participants in their sample. While this approach yields an easily interpretable map of brain regions commonly activated by the mental process(es) of interest, it ...
Measuring brain activation non-invasively in freely moving healthy and neuropsychiatric human populations using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) KU Leuven
Cognitive brain circuits and the spread of amyloid and tau in vivo in humans KU Leuven
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. The neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease are the accumulation of extracellular amyloid beta plaques and the deposition of tau aggregates as intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles. An important endeavor of contemporary research is to examine the relationship between these different components in vivo in humans and how they relate to cognitive ...
Long-range neuronal network communication in the monkey brain. KU Leuven
The brain system for language in cognitively intact elderly individuals: right-hemispheric recruitment in relationship to in vivo measures of amyloid load. KU Leuven
In this thesis we focused on brain amyloid deposition in a cognitively intact older population: we described its dependence on the genetic polymorphisms and its functional consequences on language and semantic processing. Moreover, we compared the performance of different amyloid biomarkers. All participants included in this project were community recruited cognitively intact older adults (52-74 years old Chapter 3 and 4 or 65-80 years old ...
The neurobiology of decision-making and executive functioning in the suicidal brain Ghent University
Suicidal people have a altered pattern of activation in the orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, next to executive functioning difficulties. These findings run parallel with the results found in the decision making research. In this project, fMRI and neuropsychological tests such as the Markov decision task are used to assess decision making processes and there role in suicidality.