Cognitive neurophysiology group

Visual object recognition is a brain function that is exerted without effort. So far underlying mechanisms are only rudimentarily understood. A good example is the difficulty to implement visual functions in artificial systems (e.g. identification of people with surveillance systems). Our group explores those human visual functions that contribute to object recognition: selection of behaviourally relevant information (attention), storage and retrieval of necessary information (memory), interaction of attention and memory and finally recognition itself.

We are particularly interested in face processing where vision is evidently brought to perfection. A number of studies investigate face recognition in unimpaired subjects. A current project examines people who experience severe difficulties in recognizing familiar faces, probably from birth on (congenital prosopagnosia). Here, we closely work together with Dr. Martina and Dr. Thomas Grüter from Münster (www.prosopagnosie.de) and Prof. Dr. Claus-Christian Carbon, University of Bamberg (www.experimental.psychology.com). On the one hand people with definite congenital prosopagnosia are encouraged to participate in scientific projects. On the other hand people with suspected congenital prosopagnosia are offered the full spectrum of neurological diagnostic procedures as well as specially developed neuropsychological tests in order to clarify their specific face recognition deficit. This can be done in our outpatient-clinic as well as in our inpatient-clinic.

Memory impairment is a core symptom in patients with dementia (e.g. Alzheimers disease) who are treated in our outpatient-clinic and participate in scientific projects. This includes clinical trials and basic research of impaired cognitive function to advance understanding of underlying mechanisms and to improve diagnostic tools.

As imaging methods primarily electro- (EEG) and magnetoencephalograhy (MEG) are used in combination with behavioural (neuropsychological) measures. A long standing cooperation with the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin (www.ptb.de), allows the simultaneous measurement of EEG and MEG. Further cooperations include the Dpt. of General Psychology, Bamberg and the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin which complements our electrophysiological focus with functional MRI. Inside Charité we work closely together with the neurophysics group at Campus Benjamin Franklin.

top

Selected Publications

Carbon CC, Grueter T, Grueter M, Weber JE, Lueschow A (2009)

Dissociation of facial attractiveness and distinctiveness processing in congenital prosopagnosia. Visual Cognition, in press.

Carbon CC, Grueter T, Weber JE, Lueschow A (2007)

Faces as objects of non-expertise: Processing of Thatcherised faces in congenital prosopagnosia. Perception 36: 1635-1645.

Deffke I, Sander T, Heidenreich J, Sommer W, Curio G, Trahms L, Lueschow A. (2007)

MEG/EEG sources of the 170-ms response to faces are co-localized in the fusiform gyrus. Neuroimage 35:1495-501.

Lueschow A, Sander T, Boehm SG, Nolte G, Trahms L, Curio G (2004)

Looking for faces: Attention modulates early occipitotemporal object processing. Psychophysiology 41: 350-60.

top