Main topics:
Memory of time
Interaction between (short-term) memory and perception
Auditory hallucinations in psychosis
Functional and effective connectivity during rest and task states
Short bio:
My career has so far been one of “building bridges”, between topics, research methods and disciplines. I started my scientific career on the topic of how auditory hallucinations arise from the brain (incollaboration with Prof. David EJ Linden, now at Cardiff University, UK). For this research, I used spatial Independent Component Analysis (sICA) to analyse FMRI data of schizophrenia patients lying in the scanner and reporting on the presence or absence of hallucinated voices. I continued my research at Maastricht University, where I broadened my interests in brain connectivity and in memory and learning. I joined the De Weerd Lab in 2007, collaborating on projects about visual memory and visual illusions. Typically, such research focuses on the content of what is remembered – that is, how the brain represents “What” information. An understanding of how the brain forms memories that inform perception and future actions also require insight into how the brain represents timing and temporal order – “When” information. In my current research I focus on how the brain forms a “memory of time” and how temporal information influences memory and learning.