Current projects

• The neural and cognitive bases of addiction. We aim to use behavioural, EEG, fMRI and tDCS data to study the interactions between learning processes and cognitive control, and to determine how they can be affected to help improve outcome in addiction. As part of the research group of Reinout Wiers.
• Methodology of genome-wise association studies. Primarily aimed at dimension reduction of SNP data in order to increase the statistical power of finding associations with psychiatric data, and to determine whether information at different levels of aggregation is relevant. In collaboration with Eske Derks and Wiepke Cahn.
• Brain activation associated with different types of working memory functions. In recent literature there is a growing concern about precisely what specific aspects of cognitive function are being taxed in experimental tasks, in particular in clinical studies. In certain tasks, performance failures may lead to a general breakdown in performance, and so trivially to "hypoactivation" in low-performing groups. We developed tasks aimed at specific aspects of working memory (e.g. the manipulation of relationships between elements held in working memory), and at suitability for patient studies while still evoking control-related activation. Papers currently in preparation. In collaboration with Jan van Hecke and Jean Coremans.
• The application of the above working memory studies to schizophrenia research. Can we find find practical, reliable, predictive and theoretically informative measures of patients' cognitive state with clinical relevance? In particular, we are interested in whether (changes in) frontostriatal activation are associated with clinical outcome in first episode psychosis. In collaboration with Jan van Hecke and Jean Coremans.
• The between-session reliability of fMRI data. How can it be measured - what do different statistics say about the data? How can reliability be improved? Do practice sessions help, perhaps by reducing anxiety? What about different forms of data correction? The results will help evaulate whether repeated-measures designs with a given number of subjects are feasible, and which design choices will optimize power. In collaboration with Matthijs Vink, Juliette Weusten, Bram Zandbelt and Mariet van Buuren (Utrecht), and Jan van Hecke and Jean Coremans (Antwerpen).
• Correcting cardiorespiratory confounds in fMRI. Can correction help interpret default-mode network activity? The DMN shows negative activation during more taxing task conditions, but this is confounded with changes in e.g. heart rate. Cardiorespiratory correction is also a factor in the reliability project: do (certain types of) correction improve results in some way? Revision currently under review. In collaboration with Matthijs Vink, Mariet van Buuren and Juliette Weusten.
• EEG studies on the control of action: task switching and stop-signal processing. These studies aim to build on and apply earlier results, in which the lateralization of various components of the EEG signal were found to be associated with various experimental manipulations and behavioural states. In collaboration with Matthijs Vink, Florian Bootsman and Bram Zandbelt.
• Brain activation associated with rewarded behaviour and feedback-learning. In collaboration with Matthijs Vink, Juliette Weusten and Mariet van Buuren.