Pupillometry

…For instance, pupillometry is shown to be linked to arousal state, LC-NA, and other neuromodulator activity. However, given that pupillometry is a relatively slow process, the extent by which LC-NA can be predicted by pupil is limited. Since movements are linked with increased LC activity, orofacial movements could potentially be used as an additional psychophysiological marker for arousal and LC-N

Lapses in attention are ubiquitous and, unfortunately, the cause of many tragic accidents. One potential solution may be to develop assistance systems which can use objective, physiological signals to monitor attention levels and predict a lapse in attention before it occurs. As it stands, it is unclear which physiological signals are the most reliable markers of inattention, and even less is known about how reliably they will work in a more naturalistic setting. My project aims to address these questions across two experiments: a lab-based experiment and a more ‘real-world’ experiment. In thi

…dynamic environments through EEG and pupillometry. We had 26 young adults perform an auditory motion discrimination task, indicating the final directions of auditory motion sequences with ran

Pavlovian conditioning describes a form of associative learning wherein initially neutral cues acquire motivational value through repeated pairing with rewards. Two learning profiles have been identified in how such cues acquire value and bias performance: sign-trackers, i.e., individuals who attribute high incentive (or attractive) value to reward-predictive cues, and goal-trackers, i.e., individuals who acquire the predictive value of cues but use it to directly approach the reward. The acquisition of incentive value seems crucial in making sign-trackers maladaptive, favouring behaviours lik

…post-feedback signals from EEG and pupillometry that captured differential a

…We use pupillometry to measure whether animals can detect and track patterns in rapidly unfolding sounds. The study leverages a novel comparative behavioural paradigm, termed X-detectio

Generalised and focal to bilateral convulsive seizures are risk factors for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES), a generalized flattening of the scalp EEG, is a potential marker of increased seizure severity and risk of SUDEP. PGES has been variably linked to autonomic dysfunctions including loss of arousal. Risk of SUDEP may be increased in direct proportion to duration of PGES and loss of arousal. Convulsive seizures can co-exist with spreading depolarisation (SD), a slowly propagating wave of neuronal and glial depolarisation (typically

Over the last few years, substantial research efforts have been directed toward the field of awake fMRI in preclinical rodent models. The spread of high-field preclinical scanners as well as the translational potential of fMRI data make this a critical topic for neuroscience. However, because MRI is highly sensitive to movement, animals’ awake recordings remain a challenging task. Nowadays, head-fixation systems are the most common method to address the problem, as anesthesia strongly affects brain function. Although numerous effective constriction setups are available for mice, a user friendl

The Locus coeruleus (LC), the main noradrenaline-producing nucleus in the brain, is affected in a wide range of neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Notably, the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system can be a therapeutic target through Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS), an alternative technique that stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, is being studied as it’s less invasive, yet the nuanced neurocircuitry linking this branch of the vagus and LC remains unelucidated, as does the optimal

…between such measurements (here, pupillometry and widefield calcium imaging) from a latent, low-rank representation of their dynamics provides strong support for this hypothesis. Specifically, we introduce an integrative theoretical framework that casts arousal as a dynamical process unfolding along a low-dimensional manifold that segreg

…using a novel combined EEG and pupillometry paradigm to simultaneously index binocular combination of luminance flicke

…In this seminar, I’ll focus on pupillometry studies that have provided key clues about ipRGC behavior. Specifically, the interaction between the intrinsic response, rods, and cones will be discussed.