Research areas

Bringing together cognitive neuroscientists, clinical neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, neurophysiologists, psychopharmacologists, sports and exercise psychologists, the CCN carries out cutting edge research in several interdisciplinary areas, aiming at understanding and restoring human brain function and health.

Cognitive Neuroscience

Leads: Dr Caroline Di Bernardi Luft & Dr Adrian Williams

• Vision – attention, perception, and visual cognition
• Action – decision making, executive control, and performance (e.g., sport, safe driving and cycling)
• Language – components and underlying mechanisms
• Learning and memory
• Written expression – underlying mechanisms of handwriting
• Social cognition – multimodal emotion perception
• Reward processing

Movement in Health and Disease 

Leads: Dr Elmar Kal & Dr Adam Cocks

• Cortical mechanisms underlying the control of skilled movements – cortico-cortical connectivity and cortical mapping
• Voluntary control of movements – corticospinal tract and spinal circuits
• Sensorimotor transformations – multisensory integration
• Skilled hand movements ­­– virtual reality and haptic robots
• Action observation, visuomotor and mental imagery
• Control of balance and gait
• Assessment and rehabilitation of upper limb movements – novel magnetic and electrical brain or nerve stimulation applications for rehabilitation
• Spinal cord injury
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and sensorimotor difficulties in children

Clinical and Forensic Neuroscience

Leads: Dr Ignazio Puzzo & Dr Elena Makovac

• Developmental and acquired language disorders
• Agnosias and synaesthesia
• Schizophrenia, autism, and mood disorders
• Antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy
• Genetics of psychopathy and psychosis
• Genetics of eating behaviour
• Brain injury

Neurodegeneration

Leads: Dr Matteo de Marco & Dr Byron Creese

• Alzheimer's disease and related disorders
• Parkinson's disease and related disorders

Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity

Leads: Dr Liam O'Reilly & Dr Annie Chan

• Speech and language therapy
• Interventions for DCD, cerebral palsy, and stroke
• Promotion of healthy ageing
• Enhancing sports performance (e.g., using music)
• Auditory attention training
• Mindfulness

Cognitive Psychopharmacology and Addiction

Leads: Dr Rachel Bennett & Dr Survjit Cheeta

• Oxytocin
• Anxiolytics
• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Alcohol
• Psychostimulants (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, amphetamine, and cannabis)

Methods and Analysis

Leads: Dr Elena Antonova & Dr Ray Norbury

• Experimental Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Eye Tracking
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Functional fMRI
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)