The Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Üsküdar University is an interdisciplinary program established to investigate the neural and biological foundations of human cognitive processes (attention, memory, language, perception, decision-making, and emotion regulation) using advanced brain imaging and signal processing techniques.
- Main Objective: To map the electrical, metabolic, and structural correlates of cognitive and behavioral processes in the brain; to identify the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairments by creating brain function maps of healthy individuals and patients with neurological or psychiatric conditions.
- Key Features: The laboratory can simultaneously record behavioral metrics (reaction times, error rates) in an integrated manner using electrophysiological and optical measurement systems with high temporal and spatial resolution.
- Academic Contribution: The system brings together the disciplines of psychology, neurology, software engineering, and artificial intelligence on a common platform. It supports evidence-based neuroscience research at the academic level by enabling students and researchers to process neuroimaging data, develop signal processing algorithms, and design computerized cognitive test batteries.
Equipment and Technical Infrastructure in the Laboratory
The laboratory’s infrastructure houses state-of-the-art equipment capable of measuring the central nervous system’s electrical activity, changes in blood flow, and microsecond-level responses to visual and auditory stimuli:
- High-Density Electroencephalography (EEG) Systems: Systems that record the brain’s microvolt-level electrical activity from the scalp with high temporal resolution using multi-channel (64 or more channels) caps and analyze event-related potentials (ERPs).
- Eye-Tracking Hardware and Software: Laboratory systems capable of tracking participants’ fixation durations on visual stimuli, changes in pupil diameter (pupillometry), and fixation points with millimeter and millisecond precision, and capable of operating in sync with EEG.
- Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Modules: Devices that perform functional brain mapping by measuring changes in the concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the cerebral cortex (brain cortex) during cognitive tasks using optical sensors.
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)-Compatible Stimulation Equipment: Specialized liquid crystal display and response pad sets that can be integrated with MRI systems in hospitals or imaging centers, enabling the presentation of cognitive tests to the patient during scans and the collection of BOLD (Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent) signals.
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Neuromodulation Devices: Non-invasive systems that modulate (enhance or inhibit) cognitive processes by applying low-intensity direct current to specific cortical regions through the scalp, and are used in neuroplasticity studies.
- Computerized Cognitive Test Batteries (E-Prime, PsychoPy, Cambridge Cognition, etc.): Software stations that measure attention, working memory, executive functions, and reaction times using standardized algorithms, and can send triggers synchronized with hardware.
Research Areas and Application Areas
Applied curricula conducted in the laboratory, R&D projects, and graduate thesis studies cover the most strategic research areas in cognitive neuroscience:
- Neural Mechanisms of Memory and Attention Processes: Investigating which brain regions work in sync during learning, recall, and selective attention using EEG spectral power analysis and fNIRS methods.
- Neuromarketing and Perception Research: Analysis of the emotional and cognitive load created by visual designs, advertising content, or user interfaces (UX) in the human brain and eye movements using eye-tracking and biosignal tools.
- Clinical Cognitive Screening and Early Diagnosis: Detection of cognitive decline and brain wave anomalies serving as biomarkers in conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Neuromodulation and Cognitive Enhancement: Experimental monitoring of the lasting or temporary effects of methods such as tDCS on memory performance and learning speed in healthy individuals or patients with cognitive decline.
Contributions to Students and the Industry
The Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory prepares students for the future sectors of digital health, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction by combining their theoretical foundations in psychology and biology with advanced data analysis skills.
- Advanced Data Processing Skills: Students gain hands-on experience in filtering raw brain signals to remove noise (artifacts), separating them into frequency bands (alpha, beta, theta, delta), and reporting the resulting numerical data using statistical models.
- Broad and Visionary Career Opportunities: Graduates who effectively utilize the neuroimaging devices, cognitive software, and signal processing methods in this laboratory will be able to work in: are quickly hired as "Neuroscience Specialists," "Bio-signal Data Analyst," "Cognitive Researcher," or "UX Research Coordinator" in the neurology and psychiatry research units of hospitals, in neuromarketing and user experience (UX) research companies, and in R&D laboratories in the defense industry and those focused on artificial intelligence-driven human-computer interaction.
