Conscious Brain Lab
While you are reading these words, the electrochemical activity of billions of nerve cells is generating a conscious experience of these words: right now. But how do all those interconnected cells in your brain do that? And related, what happens for example when a person loses consciousness, for example when falling asleep or when placed under anesthetic? Answering these questions is the ultimate intellectual challenge for members of the Conscious Brain Lab.
We are hosted at the University of Amsterdam (SvG, TS) and the Free University Amsterdam (JJF). On this page you can find information about lab members, ongoing projects, publications and more. See below for a recent animation that we have made about 'understanding consciousness'.
🇪🇺 European Research Council (ERC)
🇳🇱 Dutch Research Council (NWO)
🔬 Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging
Our Research Architecture
We are hosted at the University of Amsterdam (Simon van Gaal, Timo Stein) and the Free University Amsterdam (Johannes Fahrenfort). We combine psychophysics, high-density EEG, multivariate decoding, and fMRI to dissect consciousness.
Multimodal Investigation of the Mind
In our lab we study the neural correlates of consciousness and the role of consciousness in cognitive control and decision-making using various neuroimaging techniques (e.g., high-density EEG, functional and structural MRI, MEG).
Using advanced multivariate decoding toolboxes (including the lab's open-source ADAM toolbox developed by Johannes Fahrenfort) and Bayesian response models, we disentangle raw subjective awareness from decisional criteria.
Life at the Conscious Brain Lab
Hosting international scientific meetings and conducting research in Amsterdam.
