Junior research group: Physiology of Thought

The Physiology of Thought lab investigates how thoughts are generated in the brain, how the mind shifts from one thought to the next, and how thoughts, particularly intrusive ones relevant to disease, can be modulated. We ask what thoughts look like in electrical brain activity, whether we can detect the moment a thought appears, and whether an intended thought can be distinguished from an intrusive one.

To address these questions, we combine cognitive tasks in healthy participants, non-invasive recording of brain activity (EEG), machine learning, and brain-computer-interface methods. We develop behavioural tasks and EEG analyses that identify when a thought switch occurs and which thought it turns to, test how brief interrupting stimuli (visual, auditory, or tactile) affect the frequency of intrusions, and integrate these into closed-loop systems that deliver a well-timed interruption at the detected onset of an intrusion.

This work bridges levels of analysis, from the biophysics of oscillatory dynamics and the morphology of neural waveforms to the cognitive processes they support. By linking the emergence of thoughts to measurable neural signals, we aim to advance the understanding of the stream of consciousness and to lay the groundwork for precise, timing-sensitive interventions for conditions in which intrusive thoughts are central, including OCD, PTSD, addiction, and depression.