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Beschreibung: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurocognitive disorder that results in cognitive impairment. Onset of AD is characterised by memory impairment and the neuroanatomical differences. However, the detection of these signs is often difficult and requires complex and expensive neuropsychological tests or brain imaging technologies. In this context, interest in language and how it changes over the course of the disease has increased in recent years. Research has shown that language deficits occur in the early and even prodromal stages and are therefore of interest for early diagnosis. The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to provide an overview of the research findings to date: Why is early diagnosis of Alzheimer's important? To what extent does language change in the early stages of the disease? How can language be used as a method of early diagnosis?
Literature: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4611852/#B44
Kontakt: MSc Jonathan Heitz, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Many neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD, are more commonly diagnosed in males than in females. This disparity may, in part, result from diagnostic criteria that are biased toward male presentations, leading to the underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of females. At the same time there are neurobiological differences between males and females that may also contribute to such difference. The thesis should provide an overview of sex differences in the diagnosis, presentation and neurobiology of neurodevelopmental conditions and discuss the implications for clinical and research practice.
Kontakt: Dr. Dorothea Floris, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Multivariate EEG analyses are becoming increasingly popular in neuroscience and clinical applications due to their ability to capture the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain activity more comprehensively than univariate methods. While traditional EEG analyses (e.g., time-frequency analyses) focus on isolated electrodes or limited features, multivariate approaches leverage correlations, network dynamics, and high-dimensional data to uncover more nuanced insights.
Literature
Cohen MX. A tutorial on generalized eigendecomposition for denoising, contrast enhancement, and dimension reduction in multichannel electrophysiology. Neuroimage. 2022 Feb 15;247:118809. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118809. Epub 2021 Dec 11. PMID: 34906717.
Kontakt: MSc Dawid Strzelczyk, E-Mail
Beschreibung: In neuroscience, it is generally assumed that brain rhythms reflect the neural processes required to perform the cognitive operations demanded by the experiment task. This assumption has led to various theories regarding the role of gamma oscillations, proposing fundamental functions such as information binding or higher-order cognitive functions like memory and attention, among others. However, it remains unclear as to why gamma activity variation in the visual cortex primarily depends on stimuli properties such as the contrast and spatial frequency of grating stimuli. It has been reported that perception of gratings with high spatial frequency entails eye movements across the contrast border. Given that the brain continuously monitors oculomotor action, it may be crucial to consider these eye movements when investigating gamma oscillations.
Literature
Ray, S., & Maunsell, J. H. R. (2015). Do gamma oscillations play a role in cerebral cortex? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(2), 78-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.12.002
Sauseng, P., & Klimesch, W. (2008). What does phase information of oscillatory brain activity tell us about cognitive processes?. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 32(5), 1001-1013.
Van Pelt, S., & Fries, P. (2013). Visual stimulus eccentricity affects human gamma peak frequency. NeuroImage, 78, 439?447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.04.040
Kontakt: MSc Arne Hansen, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Depressive disorder (DD) represents a significant public health concern, as it affects millions of people and is the leading cause of disability globally. It most often occurs in adolescence, during which various physiological, psychological, and social changes heighten vulnerability. DD during adolescence is particularly troubling due to its impact on developmental milestones, academic performance, and social relationships. The disorder exhibits a notable heterogeneity, characterized by varying symptoms, severity, and outcomes across individuals, which complicates treatment efforts and prevention of relapses. Traditional treatment methods, while effective for some, do not cater to the individualized nature of psychiatric disorders, underscoring the urgent need for novel measurements and therapies that can address this variability. One such novel measurement are specific biomarkers, e.g. Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA) as a basis for tailored treatment approaches in DD. However, there are inconsistencies in the research on FAA and DD. Numerous studies struggled to replicate the original findings and discrepancies in methodological approaches, as well as uncontrolled confounding factors such as age, gender and education further cloud the association between FAA and DD.
Literature
Allen, J. J. B., Coan, J. A., & Nazarian, M. (2004). Issues and assumptions on the road from raw signals to metrics of frontal EEG asymmetry in emotion. Biological Psychology, 67(1-2), 183-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2004.03.007
Kolodziej, A., Magnuski, M., Ruban, A., & Brzezicka, A. (2021). No relationship between frontal alpha asymmetry and depressive disorders in a multiverse analysis of five studies. ELife, 10, e60595. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.60595
Kontakt: MSc Arne Hansen, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Background
Traditional diagnostic approaches in psychology (e.g., ICD-11 and DSM-V) often categorize disorders as isolated, independent constructs. While these systems have been instrumental in standardizing diagnoses, they face several limitations. Issues such as comorbidity, symptom heterogeneity within disorders, and the inability to account for overlapping features challenge the validity of categorical diagnostic systems. In contrast, dimensional or transdiagnostic approaches offer a more integrative perspective by identifying shared features across disorders. These models seek to move beyond categorical boundaries, creating frameworks that better explain mental health phenomena and their underlying mechanisms. Prominent approaches include the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), and network models.
Objectives
This bachelor's thesis aims to provide comprehensive literature research of dimensional models of psychopathology and explore their relevance to neuroscience. The project will focus on several key objectives:
- Detailed overview of the dimensional models (structure, theoretical
basis, development methods, relevance)
- Outline of evidence (empirical research validating the models) in
support of the models, as well as their advantages over traditional
systems; address limitations
- Recapitulation of the application of the models (e.g. in research,
clinical integration, etc.)
- In-depth review of their relevance and application in neuroscience,
e.g., studies linking dimensional constructs to brain imaging, genetics,
cognitive neuroscience
Formalities
This Bachelor's thesis must be written in English - strong English language skills are a prerequisite. The project is designed to be completed within one semester.
Kontakt: MSc Ines Engler, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia nowadays and poses a number of challenges due to its complex and heterogeneous nature. While advances in machine learning offer promising prospects for understanding the disease complexities and its evolution, conventional methods often overlook neuroanatomical heterogeneity between individuals, relying on case-control analyses. This thesis explores the promise of normative modeling in comparison with conventional methods for understanding disease and capturing the individual variability inherent in neurodegenerative diseases, with the aim of improving the accuracy of diagnosis and enhancing our understanding of the disease process.
Literature:
Marquand AF, Rezek I, Buitelaar J, Beckmann CF. Understanding Heterogeneity in Clinical Cohorts Using Normative Models: Beyond Case-Control Studies. Biol Psychiatry. 2016 Oct 1;80(7):552-61.
Verdi S, Marquand AF, Schott JM, Cole JH. Beyond the average patient: how neuroimaging models can address heterogeneity in dementia. Brain. 2021 Nov 29;144(10):2946-53.
Pinaya WHL, Scarpazza C, Garcia-Dias R, Vieira S, Baecker L, F da Costa P, et al. Using normative modelling to detect disease progression in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer?s disease in a cross-sectional multi-cohort study. Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 3;11(1):15746.
Kontakt: MSc Camille Elleaume, E-Mail
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