Recent News

Conference Homepage: https://predcommlab.github.io/symposium-2026/#about
Upcoming Events
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Monika Dunin-Kozicka (Lublin)<br><b>An Experiential Account of Pretense</b>
<i>Fellow Lecture Neuroscience</i> <br>Genela Morris (Tel Aviv)<br><b>Separate neurons for gains and losses: single-neuron recordings in the human brain</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Daniel Burnston (Tulane University) & Tomas J. Ryan (Trinity College Dublin/CIFAR)<br><b>An Alternative to Encoding for Thinking About Neural Representation</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Jakub Rudnicki (RUB) <br><b>The semantics of event schema</b>
<i>Psychology</i> <br>Mats Dombrowe (RUB) <br><b>Tau pathology disrupts neural navigation codes in the human medial temporal lobe</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Stephan Pohl (NYU) & Wej Ji Ma (NYU)<br><b>Clarifying the Conceptual Dimensions of Representation in Neuroscience</b>
Relevant Publications
For full list of selected publications, see the publications page
From Gut Feeling to Gray Matter: Mapping Defecation Urgency in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision-making
Predictive acoustical processing in human cortical layers
The role of episodic memory in causal reasoning with counterfactuals: A perspective from predictive processing and trace minimalism
Selective spatial attention to competing speakers in azimuth and depth: Evidence from real and virtual environments
A computationally efficient music processing algorithm for cochlear implants based on an auditory adaptation model
Learning What to Remember: Semantic Attention in Generative Episodic Memory Model. In Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN).
Fayyaz, Z., Rathjens, J., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L.. (2026). Learning What to Remember: Semantic Attention in Generative Episodic Memory Model. In Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN).
Remembering without (representational) memory: a neuro-computational study on regaining categoricity and compositionality from minimal traces
Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain
The effects of pre-extinction stress vs. physical exercise on contextual retrieval and generalization
Epigenetic markers of disease risk and psychotherapy response in anxiety disorders – a longitudinal analysis of the DNA methylome
Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are hypothesized to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and to predict as well as relate to treatment response. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) (Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip) was performed …
A neural signature of touch aversion and interpersonal problems in Borderline Personality Disorder
Introduction: Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from severe social impairments and interpersonal problems. Social touch can provide comfort and facilitate the maintenance of social bonds, and preliminary evidence indicates a negative evaluation of social touch in patients with …
When is learning “effortful”? Scrutinizing the concept of mental effort in cognitively-oriented research from a motivational perspective
Reference in memories from perceptual and non-perceptual experiences: a non-disjunctivist account including vicarious, oneiric and fictional remembering
Abstract The paper argues for a non-disjunctivist account of reference in episodic memory. Our account provides a uniform theory of reference for episodic memories that root in veridical and non-veridical experiences. It is independent from the particular mechanisms that subserve …
Prediction error processing and sharpening of expected information across the face-processing hierarchy
Prior knowledge activation as preparation prior to instruction: does the coverage of relevant prior knowledge affect learning?
Abstract Two-phase instructional designs such as Productive and Vicarious Failure employ preparatory activities before explicit instruction. It is assumed that during this preparatory activity, students need to activate their prior knowledge in order to be prepared for subsequent instruction. However, …
Interindividual Variability in Memory Performance Is Related to Corticothalamic Networks during Memory Encoding and Retrieval
Encoding new memories relies on functional connections between the medial temporal lobe and the frontoparietal cortices. Multiscan fMRI showed changes in these functional connections before and after memory encoding, potentially influenced by the thalamus. As different thalamic nuclei are interconnected …
Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain
Abstract Extinction learning—the suppression of a previously acquired fear response—is critical for adaptive behaviour and core for understanding the aetiology and treatment of anxiety disorders. Electrophysiological studies in rodents have revealed critical roles of theta (4–12 Hz) oscillations in amygdala and …
Regional prefrontal and hippocampal differences in gray matter volume are linked to the propensity for renewal in extinction learning
Introduction The renewal effect of extinction describes the reoccurrence of an extinguished response if recall is performed in a context that is not the same as the extinction context. This learning phenomenon is clinically relevant, since it potentially interferes with …

