Biopsychology

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Onur Güntürkün

Research interest

Biopsychology as part of the cognitive neurosciences explores the foundations of human experience and behaviour.
Our research interests lie mainly in the exploration of the neuronal basis of cerebral asymmetries and the functions of the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is a complex brain structure that is involved in organising the multitude of our perceptions, thoughts and actions. Moreover, it plays an important role for planning and executing actions and is crucial for the perception of time. In our research projects we investigate the neuronal processes underlying these fundamental functions of the prefrontal cortex.
Cerebral asymmetries form a fundamental but poorly understood principle of brain architecture. The right and left hemispheres are differently organised and hence exert different functions for the mediation of behaviour, higher mental processes, and cognition. We explore how cerebral asymmetries emerge, which role they play for cognitive brain functions and what gender specific differences occur.

Methods

  • behavioural (incl. machine-learning based analyses of behavior), anatomical, neurochemical, imaging-based, and electrophysiological techniques in humans and pigeons
  • designing the behavioral protocol
  • animal handling, training and testing
  • data analysis

List of collaborators

Verner P. Bingman, Psychology Department, Bowling Green State University (USA). Email:  vbingman@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Mike Colombo, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Email: Colombo@psy.otago.ac.nz

Henrik Mouritsen, Sensory Biology lab, university of Oldenburg, henrik.mouritsen@uni-oldenburg.de

Lucia Regolin, Comparative Psychology Research Group, University of Padova (Italy).

Gorgio Vallortigara, Dipartimento di Scienze della Cognizione e della Formazione, Trento University. Email: Giorgio.vallortigara@unitn.it Annemie Van der Linden, Bio-Imaging Lab, Antwerp

Master theses

Suggestions for Master projects in the Biopsychology Lab (2022)

Examples of previously supervised theses:

  • Embodied cognition – Pigeons’ pecking behavior is predictive of their upcoming choice (2023)

click here for further information about Master theses at the department of Biopsychology

Website

click here to find out more about the department of Biopsychology