Electroencephalography (EEG)
In order to research neurophysiological issues, we have the opportunity to watch the brain "at work" using an electroencephalogram (EEG). We currently use an EEG system with 32 measurement channels for this purpose. In addition to brain waves, other psychophysiological signals (such as skin conductivity or heart rate) can also be recorded. This allows us to measure both the central and peripheral reaction to emotional stimuli. In addition, we can influence activity in localised areas of the brain through non-invasive brain stimulation (by applying a low direct current) and thus influence learning processes, for example.
Peripheral physiology
In order to measure physiological reactions to emotional stimuli, we use various peripheral physiological measures. On the one hand, we measure physiological arousal via heart rate and skin conductance, and on the other hand the more emotionally specific modulation of the startle reflex. We measure these during the experiments in VR described above, but also as part of other experimental paradigms.
The emotional modulation of the startle reflex in particular has proven to be a reliable measure of the activation of neuronal structures relevant to fear and anxiety. We use this reflex, for example, in studies on the acquisition of fear (example article: The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates the generalisation of cued fear responses to a novel context (external link, opens in a new window).) and to investigate defensive reactivity to different types of threat.
Eye-tracking
To measure a person's eye movements, we record various parameters (e.g. number of fixations, fixation duration, saccades). We measure these behavioural measures within the CAVE, in VR paradigms and in experiments in the open field.
