Nicotine is a well-known and highly addictive substance with complex effects on cognition, anxiety, and neurophysiology. Despite its short-term anxiolytic effects, this drug often exacerbates anxiety symptoms. It disrupts emotional regulation through its impact on the central nucleus of the amygdala …

Brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy have been linked to an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) inputs in the brain. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying E/I balance and plasticity in the brain are largely unresolved. Inhibitory synapses have a strong impact on brain …

Over time memories are believed to undergo a time-dependent reorganization in the brain through a process known as systems consolidation during which they become less dependent on the hippocampus and more dependent on the neocortical structures. This reorganization is accompanied by a generalization …

We present a novel architecture for an AI system that allows a priori knowledge to combine with deep learning. In traditional neural networks, all available data is pooled at the input layer. Our alternative neural network is constructed so that partial representations (invariants) are learned in the …

Rehabilitation after an accident in which an arm or hand is paralyzed, is a long process. Stimulate the brain during this process is important to improve recovery. A common therapy to help patients, is mirror therapy. Originally designed to help people with phantom limb pain it activates mirror neurons …

Rehabilitation after an accident in which an arm or hand is paralyzed, is a long process. Stimulate the brain during this process is important to improve recovery. A common therapy to help patients, is mirror therapy. Originally designed for people with phantom limb pain it activates mirror neurons to …

Mirror therapy is a common therapy to help patients recover after an accident in which an arm or hand is paralyzed. It activates mirror neurons and fools the brain into perceiving the paralyzed arm or hand is still moving. This stimulates the brain which is an important aspect to improve recovery. A …

From single-cell organisms to complex neural networks, all evolved to provide control solutions to generate context- and goal-specific actions. Neural circuits performing sensorimotor computation to drive navigation employ inhibitory control as a gating mechanism as they hierarchically transform (multi)sensory …

From the thesis: "Summary Metabolic diseases that are characterized by a disturbance in energy balance because of feeding behavior, such as obesity and anorexia are known to be a world-wide problem. A better understanding in central regulation of energy intake and metabolism could give more insight in …

Mirror neurons in the cerebral cortex have been shown to fire not only during performance but also during visual and auditory observation of activity. This phenomenon is commonly called cerebral resonance behavior. This would mean that cortical motor regions would not only be activated while singing, …