Projects
Action recognition in the primate brain: a comparative functional MRI study of the organization and function of the human and non-human primate mirror system. KU Leuven
One of the most intriguing stories to emerge in cognitive neurosciences over the past few decades has been the discovery of the mirror neurons in the monkey brain. These neurons respond both when a monkey performs a particular motor act, and when it observes another individual performing a similar motor act. A similar system appears to exist in the human brain as well, and it has been speculated that it mediates a whole scale of social ...
Analysis of scapsular muscle recruitment in patients with chronic shoulder and neck pain, by use of fine wire EMG and muscle functional MRI Ghent University
The overall goal is to evaluate the amount and timing of activation of the different shoulder girdle muscles, in a sample of patients with chronic neck pain and shoulder pain compared to healthy subjects. All muscles surrounding the scapula will be examined during several tasks using 2 methods of investigation: Electromyography (surface and fine-wire) and Muscle functional MRI.
Muscle functional MRI as an innovative biomarker for fiber type composition. Study in healthy control subjects and chronic low back pain patients. Ghent University
The invasive character of biopsy restricts extensive research on muscle fiber typing in trunk muscles. A noninvasive, in vivo alternative for biopsy may be found in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The objective of this project is to validate T2 relaxation time as an innovative biomarker for fiber type distribution and to gain fundamental insight in structural subdivision in lumbar muscles.
Unraveling the Neural mechanisms underlying compensation strategies for gaIT impairmEnts in Parkinson’s Disease: a functional MRI investigation KU Leuven
Gait impairments are a hallmark symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and are reckoned among the most disabling motor symptoms. Freezing of gait (FOG), in particular, impairs the function and independence of many people with PD and often does not respond to conventional therapies. Previous work demonstrated that external pacing cues can be used to improve gait in PD, and many patients show a remarkable response to external input for motor ...
SUBJECT-SPECIFIC GRAPH MEASURES BASED ON RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL MRI AS POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE KU Leuven
The brain is one of the most complex systems. To understand the brain we have to understand how the brain works, in terms of how remote/non-remote brain regions effectively interact and how brain regions are organized to process information. Therefore, it is important to understand the brain as a network. To quantify the performance of brain networks, graph theory is a very suitable method. It has been proposed that graph measures of ...
Functional mapping of auditory responses in the zebra finch brain using spin-echo fMRI. University of Antwerp
Functional interactions across attention regions: a combined optogenetic, fMRI and electrophysiology study. KU Leuven
Visual attention improves behavioral performance by allowing subjects to focus on the most relevant information in complex scenes. To improve our understanding of the neuronal underpinnings underlying selective spatial attention, we aim to investigate the behavioral and functional impact of very short interruptions of activity in key nodes of the brain’s attention network during performance of attention tasks. First, we will use high ...
The functional role of frontal and parietal cortex in top-down and bottom-up driven processes: a combined optogenetic, electrophysiology and fMRI study. KU Leuven
To accomplish virtually any task, we rely on top-down processing in our brain, that is not directly driven by sensory stimulation. To improve our understanding of the neuronal mechanisms underlying such processes, we aim to investigate the behavioral and functional impact of very short interruptions of activity in key nodes of the brain’s network involved in top-down and bottom-up processes. First, we will use high resolution functional ...
Mirrors in action: investigating the functional organization of the rhesus monkey motor and mirror system using fMRI KU Leuven
One of the most intriguing stories to emerge in cognitive neurosciences over the past few decades has been the discovery of the mirror neurons in the monkey brain. These neurons respond not only when a monkey performs a particular motor act, but also when it observes another individual performing a similar motor act. A similar mirror system appears to exist in the human brain as well, and it has been speculated that this system mediates a ...