Begriffe, Krankheiten, Einrichtungen u.v.m., verknüpft mit dem zuständigen Bereich.
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Experimental Neuropsychology - Projects
Our core research adresses the functions of the prefrontal cortex with special emphasis on the cognitive and neural bases of complex abilities such as planning and problem solving. Further research aims at investigating working memory functions and related control processes as well as specific aspects of attention.
Dissociable functions of left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
By employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and creating virtual lesions through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in past experiments, we were able to identify separable functional mechanisms of left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during planning. However, based on the existing literature, the hemodynamic and electrophysiological findings can be integrated into a common model only to a limited extent. Follow-up studies will therefore be concerned with the concurrent application of imaging and stimulation techniques as well as the parallel recording of eye movements so as to unravel the physiological and cognitive implications of past findings.
Selected Publications:
Kaller CP, Heinze K, Frenkel A, Läppchen CH, Unterrainer JM, Weiller C, Lange R, Rahm B (in press). Differential impact of continuous theta-burst stimulation over left and right dlPFC on planning. Accepted in Human Brain Mapping.
Kaller CP, Rahm B, Spreer J, Weiller C, Unterrainer JM (2011). Dissociable contributions of left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in planning. Cerebral Cortex, 21(2): 307-17. [PubMed]
Kaller CP, Rahm B, Bolkenius K, Unterrainer JM (2009). Eye movements and visuo-spatial problem solving: Identifying separable phases of complex cognition. Psychophysiology, 46(4): 818-30. [PubMed]
The impact of structural problem parameters on planning
The ability to plan ahead sequences of action before their execution is crucial for successful and efficient coping with a multitude of situations in everyday life. Disc-transfer tasks like the “Tower of London” and its variants have been widely used in studies on planning abilities, especially in the cognitive and clinical neurosciences. However, most of these studies did not consider the impact of structural problem parameters which involve differential demands on specific cognitive processes underlying planning abilities. In a series of studies with the Tower of London we demonstrated that, contrary to the usual reduction to the minimum number of moves, problem difficulty of planning tasks is also chiefly determined by several other structural problem parameters. Furthermore, we showed that the detection of planning impairments in clinical populations is also critically influenced by considering the impact of structural problem parameters.
Selected Publications:
Kaller CP, Rahm B, Köstering L, Unterrainer JM (2011). Reviewing the impact of problem structure on planning: A software tool for analyzing tower tasks. Behavioural Brain Research 216(1):1-8. [PubMed]
McKinlay A, Kaller CP, Grace RC, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Anderson T, Fink J, Roger D (2008). Planning in Parkinson's Disease: A matter of problem structure? Neuropsychologia, 46(1): 384-9. [PubMed]
Kaller CP, Unterrainer JM, Rahm B, Halsband U (2004). The impact of problem structure on planning: Insights from the Tower of London task. Cognitive Brain Research, 20(3): 462-72. [PubMed]
