Dr José van Velzen MSc PhD

Cognitive Neuroscience, Spatial perception and spatial attention, Multisensory processing, Motor preparation

Teaching

Methods and Techniques in Cognitive Neuroscience (MSc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, MSc Music, Mind and Brain)

Research interests

My research interests include the cognitive and neural aspects of perception, attention and action. I use a combination of behavioural and neural imaging methods (EEG, ERP, TMS) to investigate the following questions (all these are suitable as PhD projects):

(1) Control processes in spatial attention and response preparation
Imaging studies have identified a network of frontoparietal brain areas in spatial attention, but also in movement control. Furthermore, electrophysiological markers of attentional control suggest shifts of spatial attention in vision, audition and touch are based on externally-defined coordinates, likely to be supplied by the visual system. Using ERPs we try to disentangle the relative contributions of brain areas involved in the control of attention and action, and investigate further the role of vision.

(2) Sensory processing during manual movements. Related to the observed overlap seen in control processes in attention and motor preparation, sensory processing is enhanced at the goal of a manual movement. In this project we study the spatial distribution of such effects in adults and children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder.

(3) Cross-modal links in perception, attention and action, in peripersonal and extrapersonal space
Previous research involving vision, audition and touch showed that shifts of attention in one sensory modality brought about shifts in attention in other modalities. Interestingly, we have recently shown that during response preparation, auditory processing is not affected by which hand is being prepared. This raises questions about the role of audition in spatial perception and spatial attention. Under which conditions is audition coupled to vision and touch? ERPs will be used to assess couplings between vision, audition and touch in peripersonal and extrapersonal space.

(4) Spatial processing and spatial attention mechanisms in the blind
It is widely assumed that congenital blind participants have an inferior sense of external space, caused by the lack of input of visual information. This project aims to investigate this claim in detail and will take into account the experience the blind have had growing up. ERP measures will be collected to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms active during spatial processing in the congenitally and late blind.

(5) Posture effects on visual and tactile spatial perception and attention
It has  recently been shown that sensory perception is affected by body posture, for example visual information is processed more efficiently when a hand is in close vicinity when compared to the same information occurring away from the hand. When the hand are crossed, tactile information is represented differently in the brain than when the hand are uncrossed. In this project we investigate effects of posture on sensory processing in the brain.

Selected publications