News

Patient information day on hallucinations & cognition in Parkinson's

Published:08.04.24 — We are happy to announce that our first patient information day on Tuesday March 19, 2024 was a success. This particular event aimed at sharing our latest research findings with those patients who participated in our different studies on hallucinations and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.

Halima Rafi joined the Blanke Lab as postdoctoral researcher

Published:08.04.24 — Halima joins the Lighthouse project on artificial intelligence-guided neuromodulation between EPFL’s Neuro X Institute and the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering.

Grid cell activity in entorhinal cortex reflects self-consciousness

Published:27.03.24 — Grid cell-like activity in entorhinal cortex reflected self-consciousness as induced in the full-body illusion using virtual reality and motion tracking in the MRI scanner. This finding provides the first evidence that a key aspect of bodily self-consciousness (self-location) is associated with grid cells in human entorhinal cortex.

Locating single neurons that monitor and regulate the heart and lungs

Published:22.03.24 — EPFL neuroscientists have located single neurons in a deep structure of the brain that regulates the heart and the lungs, a first detection in humans. The results shed light on how the brain-body system self-regulates both vital bio-rhythms.

The surprising effect of presence hallucinations on social perception

Published:12.03.24 — EPFL neuroscientists have devised a way to alter our social perception and monitor specific types of hallucinations, both in healthy individuals and patients with Parkinson’s disease. The test, which is also available online, provides the medical community with a tool to monitor hallucination susceptibility.

Leenards Prize for neurotech project in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Published:11.03.24 — We are happy to announce that the 2024 Leenaards Foundation Science Prize has been awarded to our project on the early diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.

Out-of-body illusion induced by visual-vestibular stimulation

Published:26.02.24 — In this work, published in iScience, HsinPing Wu presents a unique approach combining immersive virtual reality and vestibular stimulation to induce out-of-body-like experiences.

Juan Carlos Farah joined the Blanke Lab as postdoctoral researcher

Published:31.01.24 — Juan Carlos will work on new methods using AI and large language models for cognitive neuroscience research 

Courtney Applewhite joins the Blanke Lab as postdoctoral researcher

Published:31.01.24 — Courtney will work on the cognitive science of hallucinations linked to bereavement

Robots make people hear voices

Published:04.12.23 — Researchers from LNCO developed a robotic procedure able to make healthy participants hear voices when they were in fact hearing only noise. Their work garnered worldwide attention, including a notable feature in The New York Times and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Sara Stampacchia was selected as Neuro-X Postdoctoral Fellow!

Published:09.10.23 — Congratulations to Sara Stampacchia, who was selected as this year’s Neuro X Postdoctoral Fellow! This new program at Neuro-X will allow Sara Stampacchia to work on a new exciting project entitled “Technology-based antipsychotic therapy in Parkinson’s disease” aiming to reduce the occurrence of hallucinations in Parkinson’s Disease patients, thanks to an innovative approach combining robotics and real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Candidates were selected on the basis of their CV and quality of their proposal.

An early predictor of cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease

Published:30.06.23 — EPFL neuroscientists say that early hallucinations disease indicate a greater risk of cognitive decline when there is a diagnosis of Parkinson's.

Amputees feel warmth in their missing hand

Published:19.05.23 — An unexpected discovery about temperature feedback has led to new bionic technology that allows amputees to sense the temperature of objects ­– both hot and cold – directly in the phantom hand. The technology opens up new avenues for non-invasive prosthetics.

Phantom Boarder and Presence Hallucinations: overlapping mechanisms?

Published:24.04.23 — Novel work relating Phantom Boarder Syndrome and Presence Hallucinations published in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice

Collaboration with the Memory Center of Lausanne University Hospital

Published:24.04.23 — We are happy to announce a new collaboration with Professor Gilles Allali and his team at the Memory Centre (Centre Leenards de la Memoire) of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). We have just successfully tested our first patient with Lewy Body dementia.

Chuong Ngo joined the Blanke Lab as postdoctoral researcher

Published:20.03.23 — Chuong will work on the project "The Home Within: Minimal Phenomenal Selfhood, Phenomenal Existence, and Meditation Neuroengineering".

Pavo Orepic interviewed by NYT for perception of one's own voice

Published:08.03.23 — In a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, Orepic and colleagues from LNCO showed that bone conduction improves recognition of one's own voice. The study garnered media attention.

Virtual Medicine Center launched at Geneva University Hospital (HUG)

Published:07.02.23 — Geneva University Hospital (HUG) launched Virtual Medicine Center aiming to bring VR/AR/MR technologies to the bedside for digital diagnostics and digital therapeutics.

Hang Yang joined the Blanke Lab as postdoctoral researcher

Published:26.01.23 — Hang will work on the project "The Home Within: Minimal Phenomenal Selfhood, Phenomenal Existence, and Meditation Neuroengineering".

Haruki Yusuke joins Blanke Lab as a visiting PhD student

Published:08.12.22 — Haruki Yusuke has joined our Lab, as a visiting PhD student, thanks to support received from the young researcher exchange program, between Japan and Switzerland.