and Sensorimotor Integration (Neurospat) Effect of Gravitational Context on EEG Dynamics: A Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing
NOVELTY PROCESSING AND SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION (NEUROSPAT)
Research Area: Nervous and Vestibular Systems
Expedition(s): 19-ongoing
Principal Investigator(s): ● László Balázs, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest,
Hungary
● Guy Cheron, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
● István Czigler, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest,
Hungary
● George Karmos, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest,
Hungary
● Márk Molnár, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest,
Hungary
● Elemér Nagy, Central Hospital of Ministry of the Interior,
Budapest, Hungary
● Livia Gabriella Pató, Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
Budapest, Hungary
● Jerzy Achimowicz, University of Finance and Management,
Warsaw, Poland
● Caty de Saedeleer, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels,
Belgium
● Ana Cebolla, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
● Alain Berthoz, College de France, Paris, France
● Ana Bengoetxea, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels,
Belgium
● Joseph McIntyre, College de France, Paris, France
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Effect of Gravitational Context on EEG Dynamics: A Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty
Processing and Sensorimotor Integration (Neurospat) tests prefrontal brain functions and
spatial cognition to determine the effect of gravitational context on brain processing. The
experiment involves recording of the electroencephalographic activity of the brain (EEG
dynamics) and event related potentials (ERP) during performance of a visual-orientation
perception and visuo-motor tracking task that humans and astronauts may encounter on a daily
basis. Specifically, 5 cognitive processes (perception, attention, memorization, decision, and
action) are studied.
EARTH BENEFITS
Understanding how the neural processes of perception adapt to weightlessness in turn
provides an insight into exactly how perception is altered by the presence of gravity. This
research could therefore improve our fundamental knowledge of how the human central
nervous system functions on Earth. Furthermore drawing similarities between the
disorientation experienced by astronauts when first adapting to weightlessness and certain