Associate Professor (Principal Investigator)

Tanja Nijboer
Utrecht University
Department of Experimental Psychology
Helmholtz Institute
Postdocs
Mixed Reality

Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher at Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium & Copromotor of Eileen Bousché
Investigating the potential of computational modelling, Bayesian statistics in combination with innovative technology for clinical neuropsychological diagnosis during my postdoctoral research. In addition, during my PhD I developed an immersive virtual reality rehabilitation game (i.e., HEMIRehapp) for hemispatial neglect. We plan to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of this new rehabilitation approach in the next years.
PhD Candidates
Basic mechanisms

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, MSc Neuropsychology, MSc Neuroscience & Cognition
How do patients with acquired brain injury employ their visual working memory to efficiently perceive and use visual information? Do conventional neuropsychological tasks tell the whole story or should we move on to novel paradigms? During the course of my PhD I will try to find out whether eye movement behavior can give insights in underlying (working) memory deficits after acquired brain injury, and whether and how this relates to findings on tasks used in standard neuropsychological assessment.

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University
Background: BSc. Psychology, MSc. Artificial Intelligence
Uncovering, at any given time, how many items are present in someone’s (visual) working memory is a complex task. I will investigate whether computational cognitive models can give insight into working memory usage based on gaze behaviour – and how experimental manipulations affect this usage of working memory. Additionally, I will investigate whether various patient populations use different working memory strategies as compared to healthy controls, by seeing whether machine learning models can dissociate between the two groups based on gaze behaviour and memory usage.

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University
Background: B.A. Behavioral Sciences, M.A. Experimental Psychology
Project: My research primarily concerned with understanding neuropsychological mechanisms underlying different forms of magnitude (e.g., length, time, size, numerals), and its possible link to action oriented system — goal-directed reaching. In the current project, I intend to use computer mouse-tracking to establish how individuals with spatial neglect selectively process numerical information in the visual field.

Affiliation: Department of public health and primary care, Leiden University Medical Center and Zorggroep Florence
Background: BSc Physical Therapy, MSc Neurorehabilitation and innovation, PhD candidate
A Dutch multicenter study to provide more insight into the process of VSN assessment in GR and to provide more insight into the stroke population with VSN during and after GR. The outcomes of the study will improve VSN assessments in GR neurorehabilitation and will ameliorate the insight of problems due to VSN in GR patients.
Mixed Reality

Affiliation: Utrecht University Experimental Psychology
Background: BSc. Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, MSc. Neuropsychology
Using Mixed Reality and Serious Gaming techniques to develop new neuropsychological outcome measures. Starting with assessing cognitive performance in children who underwent open heart surgery in early life with a VR Serious Game.

Affiliation: University of Antwerp, Research Group MOVANT (Dept. Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy)
Background: Physical Therapy
Currently working on two projects. The first one is to evaluate the user-experience and feasibility of wearables (activity trackers) in stroke patients with spatial neglect. The second is to investigate whether patients with spatial neglect are generally more or less active compared to those without.

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University
Background: B.Sc. Psychology, M.Sc. Cognition and Psychophysiology
I am a PhD student supervised by Tanja Nijboer and Stefan van der Stigchel. My background lies in cognition and attention, specifically in visual perception. My PhD project revolves around finding an objective measurement for the experience of presence, which is defined as “the feeling of being inside of a virtual environment”. I am interested in how the experience can be quantified and utilized in practical applications and in understanding which factors influence the experience of presence.

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University and Geriatrische Revalidatie Zorg, afdeling Onderzoek, Omring, Hoorn, Nederland
Background: Ergotherapeut en Master Digitale Innovatie in Zorg en Welzijn (M.A.)
Applying Augmented Reality(AR) to align treatments better to the needs of neglect patients. SE(AR)CH = Scan your Environment with AR to Create less Hamper in moving.

Affiliation: Utrecht University Experimental Psychology and Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital
Background: Neuropsychology
I am working on the ‘Playing for Cognition’ project (grant Stichting Hartekind), in which I will evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a Virtual Reality Serious Game for cognitive training in children with congenital heart disease.

Affiliation: PhD candidate at Utrecht University
Background: MSc Media Communication
Project: Social Media Use across contexts.
We will study parental styles across contexts (e.g. countries, cultures, SES, chronic illness) and its influence on children’s social media use. We will focus on ‘normal’ use of social media mainly, but will also target problematic use and its relation to parental styles and contexts.
Non-invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS)

Affiliation: PhD candidate at Maastricht University (Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Stimulation and Cognition lab) and Interakt Contour
Background: Health Sciences
I believe that NIBS has the potential to become a powerful therapeutic tool to treat neglect symptoms following stroke. My research projects aim to answer the question whether NIBS, specifically tACS, can be used to correct for the visuospatial attention bias typically seen in neglect patients.

Affiliation: Brain Stimulation and Cognition Group, Maastricht University
Background: Neuropsychology
In my current project we study whether high-definition transcranial electrical stimulation can help improve cognitive rehabilitation outcomes for neglect in subacute stroke patients. In this project we use an interactive digital test- and training programme that recruits the patient’s visuomotor system and provides in-depth insight into training progress.
Research Assistants
Mixed Reality

Affiliation: researcher at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, MSc Youth Studies
Project: Social Media Use
I am working on the Dynamics of Youth Invigoration Grant PLUS project, in which we aim to identify social media use in families with a chronically ill child.”
Interns
Digitised Neuropsychological Assessment (dNPA)

Affiliation: Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht
Background: MSc Neuropsychology, MSc Neuroscience & Cognition
Currently working on the innovation in digitized neuropsychological assessment, in which I will explore the feasibility of remote neuropsychological testing. The pilot project is a collaboration with prof. dr. Arjen Slooter and will include (remote) neuropsychological testing in ICU-patients (UMC Utrecht) after hospital discharge.

Affiliation: Utrecht University
Background: Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science
I’m a research assistant in a multidisciplinary project on cognitive modelling of attention. My role in this project is to build a novel cognitive model based on data from 1500 stroke patients. We aim to scrutinize different subtypes of visuospatial neglect based on a large set of different digitised neuropsychological tests.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
Project: During my traineeship I will investigate the user-friendliness of new modern tasks on an iPad for neglect patients, their occupational therapist and possibly their next of kin. Additionally, I will investigate any differences with a healthy control group.
Mixed Reality

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: Bachelor Pedagogical Sciences, master Neuropsychology and master Youth 0-21, Society and Policy
I am involved in a project that aims to use Virtual Reality and Serious Games in assessing and training cognitive functions in children with congenital heart disease.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Project: I am currently involved in a project in which the use of a Virtual Reality Serious Game for measuring and training cognitive abilities in children with congenital heart disease is investigated.

Affiliation: Honours project for my bachelor of medicine
Background: BSc Neuropsychology
Project: I am developing a new cognitive model for visuospatial neglect (machine learning).

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
Project: I am currently working on my thesis, which aims to investigate the relation between stroke patients’ cognitive and social functions, and their capacities on return to work. It involves an exploratory data analysis which makes use of Neuropsychological test results and those of the Melba method.

Affiliation: Master’s student Utrecht University.
Background: Bachelor Pedagogical Sciences, master Neuropsychology and master Youth 0-21, Society and Policy
Project: I am currently contributing to a project in which the efficacy and feasibility of a VR-based Serious Game will be evaluated for assessing/training cognitive functions in children with
congenital heart disease.

Affiliation: Master’s student Utrecht University.
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc in Neuropsychology
Project: The aim of my internship project is to investigate eye tracking and searching behaviour in an Augmented Reality game.

Affiliation: Master’s student Utrecht University.
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
Project: As part of my research internship, I am currently involved in a project aimed to investigate eye tracking and search behavior in neglect patients as well as the healthy population using an Augmented Reality (AR) game.

Affiliation: Master’s student Utrecht University.
Background: information science, innovation sciences, philosophy
Project: I’m interested in the practical use of technology and how to implement it. That’s why I’m excited to start my thesis in the field of neuroscience and hopefully help with the development of serious games.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: Neuropsychology
The aim of my study is to assess the performance of a healthy population in a Virtual Reality game called Koji’s Quest. This game is developed to assess and train cognitive skills. I am specifically looking into the influence of cybersickness on performance, as well as its prevalence in a healthy population.

Affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Utrecht University and Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University
Background: B.Sc. Artificial Intelligence
I am a master student of Artificial Intelligence working on my master thesis supervised by Jeffrey Harris and Stefan van der Stigchel. For my master thesis project I am working with Jeffrey on his research into objectively measuring the experience of presence in virtual reality, which is defined as “the feeling of being inside of a virtual environment”. My bachelor thesis also covered the subject of presence so I am glad to be able to continue my research in this endlessly fascinating topic.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
I am currently involved in a project which aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Virtual Reality Serious Games as cognitive training for children with congenital heart disease.
Non-invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS)

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: Neuropsychology
I am working on a brain stimulation project in patients with neglect.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: MSc Neuroscience & Cognition, MSc Neuropsychology
I am currently involved in a research to find out whether the addition of tACS to a visual scanning training is beneficial in the treatment of neglect patients in the chronic phase following stroke.

Affiliation: Master’s student Neuropsychology at Utrecht University
Background: BSc psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
I am currently as an intern involved in the NIBS project, the aim of this project is to determine if the addition of tACS to standard treatment is beneficial in treating patients with neglect.

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Neuropsychology
I am currently working on my thesis. For this I am involved in a research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of tACS to treat neglect symptoms in patients in the chronic phase following stroke.
Epidemiology

Affiliation: Master’s Student at Utrecht University
Background: BSc Psychology, currently MSc Youth Studies
Project: I am currently involved in a project in which we aim to identify social media use in families with a chronically ill child.
Alumni
There have been many others participating in this lab. Read more about them on our alumni page.