MICC lab

About the group

Rene Jürgen Huster is the leader of the group. We have several focuses.

Neural basis of cognitive control

Cognitive control refers to mental operations that allow for the adaptation of goal-oriented behavior in accordance with environmental demands. The control of interferences in information processing and inhibitory control are major topics in this field. A major goal of our research is to identify the neural mechanisms facilitating effective inhibition, i.e. the ability to control and suppress thoughts or behavior. ​

Neuromodulation

Techniques for neuromodulation are applied to augment cognitive performance, or to test causal mechanisms of brain functioning. We employ neurofeedback of frontal-midline theta oscillations (4-8 Hz), an EEG phenomenon associated with frontal-lobe functions, to improve cognitive control in healthy and clinical subject groups. Similarly, we apply transcranial electrical stimulation to study the neural mechanisms that underly cognitive control. ​

Advanced signal processing

Our research relies on advanced methods for signal processing. Group independent component  analysis, for example, is an unsupervised learning procedure to uncover the latent structure of multi-subject EEG data sets. This procedure is not only one of the core methods in our toolbox, but we also actively contribute to its evaluation and development. We further develop and implement brain-computer interfaces for neurofeedback. ​

Normal and mal-development

Cognitive control exhibits a prolonged maturational phase that extends well into early adulthood, but then is among the first cognitive functions to decline with age. Yet only little is known about the factors that have an impact on this developmental trajectory, and how they contribute to the onset of mental disorders. In different projects, we delineate the development of cognitive control across the lifespan, how lifestyle factors (e.g., sleep) affect cognitive functioning, or how cognitive control is altered in mental disease (e.g., autism, ADHD, depression). ​

Projects

• BRAINIAC: Multiple contributions to action control
• Corticospinal Excitability in Action Preparation - How does the brain make fast decisions?
• Learning from mistakes: A Longitudinal Neuroimaging-Cohort-Registry Study
• Consciousness and brain states: neuroscience studies and conceptual innovation (ConsciousBrainConcepts)
• Neural foundations of cognitive control

Cooperation

UiO: Life Science

Academic programmes and courses

Resources

• Electroencephalography (EEG) as a neuroimaging method
• transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as neuromodulatory methods
• Independent component analysis (ICA) as a signal processing method
• Brain-computer interfaces for neurofeedback

Alumni

Marli Sælid Messel, PhD
Liisa Raud, PhD
Knut Øverbye, PhD