CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN
COGNITION & NEUROSCIENCES/ConnexConnex

A recent venue in experimental design regards stimulus presentation guided by electrophysiological brain signals. One such procedure, developed in our lab, entails the tracking and prediction of oscillatory brain activity. This, in turn, allows fine-tuned manipulations, like precise targeting of acoustic stimuli to any desired phase of brain oscillations. This closed-loop neurostimulation (CLNS) procedure has been used, for instance, to improve sleep and to influence memories during sleep.

This talk will deal with technological advances in our CLNS method, including its application to a variety of brain waves, and the development of a sleep headband that allows closed-loop neurostimulation in home and clinical environments. We will also discuss findings from some recent experiments. Among these, studies that applied CLNS to investigate the neural underpinnings of dreaming, and a multicentre study that used CLNS in post-traumatic stress disorder, to enhance therapy efficiency.