RESEARCH FOCUS
Spatial navigation and memory are among the most fundamental abilities in humans, and necessary for successful functioning in everyday life. Impairments in navigational and memory functions, in turn, can have severe consequences for individuals, such as impaired mobility, reduced social participation, and isolation. Spatial navigation and memory abilities decline in older age, and deficits in navigational and memory functions are among the hallmark symptoms of severe neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. In order to enable early detection, intervention, and treatment for affected individuals, it is thus imperative to study and understand how the human brain supports these critical functions in our everyday life.
The Stangl Lab uses a multimodal neuroimaging approach (i.e., invasive electrophysiology as well as non-invasive recording techniques) to study navigational and memory functions in both laboratory-based experiments as well as mobile real-world studies during natural movement and behavior, in the pursuit of two central goals:
- To gain an ecologically-valid understanding of how the human brain supports navigation and memory in everyday life situations
- To determine the neural mechanisms that underlie age-related navigation and memory deficits
METHODS AND TOOLS
Intracranial recordings during natural movement and behavior Read more Collapse
Our lab works with a rare group of individuals who have so-called "closed-loop" neuromodulation devices permanently implanted in their brain, which can record and stimulate brain activity through electrodes implanted in deep brain regions. As these devices do not pose any obvious restrictions upon movement, they provide a unique opportunity to obtain motion artefact-free electrophysiological recordings from deep brain regions in humans during everyday life activities.
Intracranial recordings of local field potential and single-neuron activity Read more Collapse
Hospitalized patients undergoing seizure monitoring provide another unique opportunity to record electrophysiological activity from the human brain through temporarily implanted electrodes. Our studies with these patients enable rare recordings of human local field potential and single-neuron activity during experimental tasks shown on a computer screen or via immersive virtual reality devices.
Non-invasive neuroimaging methods Read more Collapse
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enables us to record whole-brain activity from healthy young and older adults, for example during spatial navigation and memory tasks in virtual reality environments. Other non-invasive neuroimaging techniques, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) allow us further to record brain activity from the scalp during natural movement and behavior in real world settings.
Wearable technologies, motion tracking, and virtual reality Read more Collapse
Studying freely moving participants in complex scenarios and real-world settings requires multi-dimensional recordings of numerous variables, in order to be able to include these variables in the study design and analyze their impact on human cognition and behavior. This is possible through the use of modern technological wearable measurement systems that can record behavioral, physiological, and environmental influences. For example, we use motion tracking systems based on infrared cameras or inertial measurement units, audio and video recordings, mobile eye-tracking systems, and wearable systems that capture physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiration or skin conductance. These recording systems can be combined with various stimulus presentation technologies, such as mobile virtual or augmented reality headsets.