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13 06, 2023

New paper on spatial navigation assessment using VIENNA out in Behaviour Research Methods!

2023-06-13T08:56:44+02:00

 

In our article published in Behavior Research Methods, we describe the virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA), a brief, intuitive, and easy-to apply paradigm, which is specifically designed to evaluate spatial navigation in older adults and clinical populations.

Importantly, VIENNA does not require participants to use an interface device and does not include an episodic memory task. VIENNA was developed using the open source software package PsychoPy and is freely available for researchers and clinicians at www.osf.io/kp4c5.

In our study with 79 healthy participants aged 50 to 85 years, we assessed VIENNA performance and compared it to neuropsychological tests of different domains and self-report measures. We demonstrate the construct validity of VIENNA with a focus on visuospatial and executive functions, its feasibility and favorable psychometric properties, and its sensitivity to age and subjective sense of direction.

For more information, check it out here.

New paper on spatial navigation assessment using VIENNA out in Behaviour Research Methods!2023-06-13T08:56:44+02:00
12 05, 2023

We’re hiring! Postdoctoral position in the „PAN-Assistant” project: navigation training in post-acute neurorehabilitation

2023-05-12T16:14:25+02:00

Aufgaben:

  • Mitentwicklung des Taskdesigns für das Assistenzsystem
  • Konzeptuelle Mitarbeit am Interaktionsdesign für Mixed-Reality
  • Durchführung von iterativen Usability Untersuchungen mit gesunden Kontrollen und Patient:innen mit schweren kognitiven Einschränkungen
  • Projektadministration, Kommunikation und Zusammenarbeit mit den Studienzentren, Datenanalyse, Publikation der Daten

Erforderlich sind:

  • Abgeschlossenes Studium der Psychologie, Medizin, Kognitiven Neurowissenschaften oder in einem vergleichbaren Fach
  • PhD/Dissertation mit sehr gutem Abschluss im Bereich Neuropsychologie/ kognitive Neurowissenschaften
  • Erfahrungen in der Durchführung wissenschaftlicher Projekte
  • Erfahrungen im Umgang mit neurologischen Patient:innen mit kognitiven Einschränkungen
  • Erfahrungen mit neuropsychologischer Diagnostik und qualitativen Analysen
  • Erfahrungen in der Publikation von Forschungsergebnissen

Wünschenswert sind:

  • Erfahrungen in der Datenanalyse und -darstellung inkl. sehr gute statistischer Kenntnisse
  • Erfahrungen in der Entwicklung/ Erforschung von neuen Technologien für den klinischen/ wissenschaftlichen Einsatz (VR/ AR/ Wearables)
  • Erfahrungen im Forschungsbereich räumliche Kognition/ Navigation

 

We’re hiring! Postdoctoral position in the „PAN-Assistant” project: navigation training in post-acute neurorehabilitation2023-05-12T16:14:25+02:00
15 03, 2023

New review on sport-related concussion out now in Neurology Clinical Practice!

2023-03-15T11:07:00+01:00

Our review highlights the increasing incidence of sport-related concussion (SRC) and its potential impact on long-term cognitive functioning:

New review on sport-related concussion out now in Neurology Clinical Practice!2023-03-15T11:07:00+01:00
23 02, 2023

New paper out in Science Advances!

2023-02-23T11:48:50+01:00

In this study, we uncover a spatiotemporal complexity architecture of spontaneous brain activity – a human “complexome” that is tightly linked to the brain’s organization as a large-scale network.

The key observation is that the brain operates in distinct states of complexity. Specifically, we found that brain activity is highly irregular most of the time, which is reflected by a higher degree of complexity. However, this “default state” is repeatedly interrupted by spontaneous episodes of low complexity (“complexity drops”), in which brain activity becomes much more regular for a short moment in time.

These dynamics offer an explanation for why brain areas interact in functional networks and how activity patterns spread across the brain over time. Furthermore, the approach explains how brain networks change on the scale of seconds to minutes and creates a link between functional and anatomical properties of brain regions. Moreover, our work also shows that neural complexity is linked to age as well as cognitive and motor performance.

For more, feel free to reach out to Stephan and check out the paper here:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq3851

 

Charité press release:

https://www.charite.de/forschung/neues_aus_der_forschung/2023/neue_erkenntnisse_zu_hirnnetzwerken/

 

Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/krohn_stephan/status/1621527031627517952

 

New paper out in Science Advances!2023-02-23T11:48:50+01:00
23 02, 2023

Baby brains! New preprint on the formation of brain shape in human newborns!

2023-02-23T11:46:28+01:00

The human brain undergoes a phase of critical structural developments around birth. In our new study, we show that this perinatal development comes with a rapid formation of brain shape, beyond the expected growth in brain size.

Specifically, brain shape allowed us to predict the age of the infants from structural MRI data with a mean error of only ~4 days, systematically outperforming age prediction from brain size. Moreover, brain shape detected persistent signatures of premature birth that were not detected by brain size. Furthermore, we found that the brains of genetically related infants are more similar in shape than they are in size. Additionally, this shape similarity allowed us to predict which newborns are twin siblings with up to 97% accuracy, again outperforming twin predictions from brain size.

For more on this, get in touch with Stephan and check out the preprint here:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.01.521756v1

Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/krohn_stephan/status/1610346665885433857

Baby brains! New preprint on the formation of brain shape in human newborns!2023-02-23T11:46:28+01:00
23 11, 2022

Dr. Frederik Bartels gets Curt Meyer Memorial Award!

2022-11-23T13:53:31+01:00

Why do patients with tumor diseases suffer from cognitive deficits? This question is addressed in the work of Dr. Frederik Bartels, who has received this prestigious award for young cancer researchers in Berlin.

For more details, check out the links below to learn more about this award and Dr. Bartels’ recent work:

https://www.berliner-krebsgesellschaft.de/aktuelles/aktuelles-detail/curt-meyer-gedaechtnispreis-der-berliner-krebsgesellschaft-ev-fuer-neurologe-dr-frederik-bartels/

https://www.charite.de/forschung/themen_forschung/2022/dr_frederik_bartels_mit_curt_meyer_gedaechtnispreis_2022_ausgezeichnet/

https://www.bihealth.org/de/aktuell/curt-meyer-gedaechtnispreis-der-berliner-krebsgesellschaft-ev-fuer-den-neurologen-dr-frederik-bartels

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2781389

Dr. Frederik Bartels gets Curt Meyer Memorial Award!2022-11-23T13:53:31+01:00
22 09, 2022

We’re hiring! Werkvertrag, Webdeveloper (m/w/d)

2022-09-22T17:19:05+02:00

Ausschreibung Werkvertrag, Webdeveloper (m/w/d)

We’re hiring! Werkvertrag, Webdeveloper (m/w/d)2022-09-22T17:19:05+02:00
7 06, 2022

We’re hiring! PhD position „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation”

2022-06-07T14:03:16+02:00

We’re hiring! PhD „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation” within the Collaborative Research Center 1315 “Memory Consolidation” (SFB 1315)

We’re hiring! PhD position „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation”2022-06-07T14:03:16+02:00
25 05, 2022

We’re hiring! Postdoctoral Position „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation”

2022-06-07T14:06:24+02:00

We’re hiring! Postdoctoral Position „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation” within the Collaborative Research Center 1315 “Memory Consolidation” (SFB 1315)

We’re hiring! Postdoctoral Position „Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation”2022-06-07T14:06:24+02:00
27 05, 2022

New preprint – The virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA)

2022-05-27T13:00:14+02:00

New preprint – Translating spatial navigation evaluation from experimental to clinical settings – the virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA)

New preprint – The virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA)2022-05-27T13:00:14+02:00