Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Laboratory

The CCS Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Laboratory of RWTH Aachen University established in 2012 in collaboration with the Neurosurgery Clinic of UKA to conduct experimental and clinical investigations in the fields of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. The laboratory employs techniques of physiological modulation of brain activity: the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and the transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). The facility is located in room 04, corridor C0, fourth floor, UKA main building, and is set up for research, diagnostic, and teaching purpose.

Research focuses on the plasticity and connectivity of fronto-striatal brain areas investigated with TMS and tDCS combined with MRI and PET, motor representations in objects processing, grounding of language in the motor system.

The facility can be light-attenuated. Equipment includes: a Magventure TMS system with programmable stimulation protocols (e.g., monophasic, biphasic, theta-burst) and integrated electromyography to collect Motor-evoked Potentials (MEPs), a LOCALITE neuronavigation system, a tDCS system (neuroConn DC-STIMULATOR MR) that is also compatible with MRI. TMS and tDCS are interfaced with hardware and software for visual and auditory stimulation and behavioural data collection (E-Prime v2.0 http://www.pstnet.com, Presentation https://www.neurobs.com/).

Research Projects:

Related Publications and Conference Presentations:

Borghi, A.M. & Binkofski, F. (2014). Words As social Tools: An embodied view on abstract concepts. SpringerBriefs in Cognition series. Springer: New York. http://www.springer.com/psychology/cognitive+psychology/book/978-1-4614-9538-3

Related Publications and Conference Presentations:

Pellicano, A., Iani, C., Maiorana, N. V., Horoufchin, H., Rubichi, S., Lugli, L., Nicoletti, R., & Binkofski, F. (2018). Correspondence effect driven by salient visual asymmetries in integral object stimuli. Psychological Research. doi : 10.1007/s00426-018-1079-3.

Iani, C., Ferraro, L., Maiorana, N. V., Gallese, V., & Rubichi, S. (2018). Do already grasped object activate motor affordances? Psychological Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1004-9

Pellicano, A., Koch, I., & Binkofski, F. (2017). Location-Coding Account vs. Affordance-Activation Account in Handle-to-Hand Correspondence Effects: Evidence of Simon-Like Effects Based on the Coding of Action Direction. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 43, 1647-1666. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000414.

Pellicano, A., Iani, C., Borghi, A. M., Rubichi, S., & Nicoletti, R. (2010). Simon-like and functional affordance effects with tools: The effects of objects perceptual discrimination and object action state. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 2190–2201.

Related Publications and Conference Presentations:

Shaikh, U.J., Pellicano, A., Binkofski, F. (April 2019). PET-TMS study: “Fronto-striatal Connectivity as assessed by PET and TMS”. Neuroimaging Colloqium, Brain Imaging facility-IZKF, UKA.

Alkhasli I, Sakreida K, Mottaghy FM and Binkofski F (2019) Modulation of Fronto-Striatal Functional Connectivity Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 13:190. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00190

Related Publications and Conference Presentations:

Patel, H. J., Romanzetti, S., Pellicano, A., Nitsche, M., Reetz, K., & Binkofski, F. (2019). Long term GABA change following anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the motor cortex: A Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study. Scientific Reports 9:2807. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39262-7

Patel, H. J., Romanzetti, S., Pellicano, A., Reetz, K., & Binkofski, F. (2018). PB11 Long term GABA alterations induced by anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in motor cortex: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Clinical Neurophysiology, 129, 8, e59-e60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2018.04.636

Patel, H. J., Romanzetti, S., Pellicano, A., Reetz, K., & Binkofski, F. (2017). FV 6 Sustained GABA reduction induced by anodal Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in motor cortex - a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Clinical Neurophysiology, 128, 10, e308-e309. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.06.048