Lab spaces
The Neurobiochemistry section aims to provide researchers and students working at the Neuropsychophysiology Lab the necessary equipment (for ELISA methodology) to examine neuroendocrine markers in biological samples. Mainly focus ion the use of ELISA methodology, The neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the regulation of the human behavior is a present challenging for both biologists and psychologists, in order to explore how different endocrine system are linked with cognitive and emotional systems to produce complex psychological processes. Projects in the lab are intended to provide valuable information on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying different psychological processes, such as stress-related psychopathologies, neurodevelopmental cognitive impairments or neurodegenerative processes.
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The Neurophysiology section aims to investigate, for example, the time course of speech and voice processing, inhibitory control in binge drinking, and proactive interference in aging.The Event Related Potential (ERP) technique is a major tool in the domain of Cognitive Neurosciences. Because of its excellent temporal resolution, this technique helps researchers interested in understanding the electrophysiological correlates of cognitive processing. The raw electroencephalogram (EEG), recorded directly from a subject's scalp, is the summation of the electrical activity produced by synchronized groups of neurons in the brain, at a given moment in time. The ERP technique allows us to take raw EEG data and parse out only the information we are interested in, after time-locking and averaging the signal.
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The Peripheral Measures. The interest in the interrelationship between psychological and peripheral physiological events has had a special attention in the scientific investigation. The non-invasive autonomic measures may contribute to a better understanding of the body changes, not observable in behavioral or verbal reports. Despite the technical obstacles during the early studies, the instrumentation for peripheral recording is becoming more precise, and now it is possible to access the wide range of information extracted from these biosignals. Advances in our understanding have allowed us to establish recording standards, discrimination of signal from artifacts, procedures for acquisition and analysis, and development of the powerful instrumentation and techniques providing new opportunities in the area of psychophysiological research.
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The neuromodulation section. This group of techniques consists of alteration of nerve activity through the application of a set of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and cognitive enrichment. Magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive and painless method of exciting neurons using strong, time varying magnetic fields generated by a stimulating coil. Following Faraday´s principle of electromagnetism, the current on the coil will elicit Edy currents on the nearby neurons. Used for research, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy in a range of nervous and psychiatric disorders, magnetic stimulation is able to stimulate the human cortex, spinal roots and peripheral nerves. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) involves applying weak electrical currents directly to the scalp, to generate an electromagnetic field which modulates the activity of brain neurons. tDCS is known to selectively modulate neuronal excitability and can be used in conjunction with fMRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or centrally acting drugs.
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The neuroimaging section includes structural (MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging - DTI) and functional MRI techniques. Structural studies include the use of both manual and automated methods of segmentation and shape analysis. Within these techniques we run studies focused on specific brain regions of interest (eg: basal ganglia, amygdala, superior temporal gyrus, Herschel gyrus hippocampus), and the presence of possible volumetric or morphological alterations of these regions in disorders such as Williams Syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. Within our structural studies Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) provide a powerful tool to evaluate white matter in the brain (connectivity and fiber orienting). Finally, functional studies (clinically oriented within neurosurgical planning and within research studies) have been carried out by our lab in order to study brain activity related to specific cognitive or sensory processes (e.g. language, empathy, memory). We also perform resting state functional studies in which we analyze different brain networks that are active when the individuals are not focused on any specific task. |