Evolutions in MEEG research practices

Saskia Haegens

Tzvetan Popov

An axiomatic view in contemporary neuroscience is that, under well-controlled experimental conditions, event-induced potentials and oscillations vary with task-specific cognitive demands and reflect the neural support of the cognitive operation performed.

A complementary view is discussed based on the premise that brain rhythms evolved to control the movement of the brain’s sensors and to register the consequences of this movement. This control of behavior is a species-independent necessity and a key survival requirement for all organisms equipped with and relying on the ability to explore the environment. Consequently, brain rhythms appear correlated with the cognitive task at hand, while they evolved primarily to support action. A series of results will be discussed that challenge the prevailing premise and support the conclusion that EEG components derived from electrophysiology appear to “underpin” cognition when they primarily reflect the potentiality and manifestation of oculomotor action, a requirement in all experimental examinations of human cognition. Waves, beyond mere waveforms, enable collective behavior across various organizational scales, ranging from neurons to animal societies.

Catharina Zich

Stroke is a leading cause of complex adult disability, but currently, we do not know when and how to drive recovery optimally. To address this, we relate clinical measures to brain function and brain structure in the acute stage post-stroke. We found that brain structure relates to initial impairment, while brain function (sensorimotor β activity) predicts subsequent recovery. 

To further understand the role of sensorimotor beta activity, we dissected transient beta burst events in high signal-to-noise MEG data from healthy individuals. We quantified the temporal, spectral, and spatial domain of sensorimotor beta bursts and found that they occur in planar spatiotemporal wave-like patterns. The propagation of the waves is along two axes, parallel or perpendicular to the central sulcus, which are characterised by distinct anatomical and physiological features.

Laurent Vercueil

Testimonies of PhDs

Where to settle with a PhD in basic Science? This session will feature PhDs who explored different career path out of the academic system. What are they doing now? How do they consider their experience as researchers in retrospect?

Daniele Schön, Julien Lefèvre, Manuel Mercier

The Unitae project ‘What Neuroscience In The Anthropocene Era’ is part of a reflexive approach on our community, inspired by philosophical, historical and sociological perspectives. As well as revealing the material dependencies of our community, which are well characterised by carbon footprints, the core of our proposal concerns: 1) identifying the values and attachments that structure neuroscience, 2) debating scientific and technical issues in the context of an ecological crisis, and 3) the desirable futures for our community.

Anne Urai

Our planet is experiencing severe and accelerating climate and ecological breakdown caused by human activity. As professional scientists, we are better placed than most to understand the data that evidence this fact. However, like most other people, we ignore this inconvenient truth and lead our daily lives, at home and at work, as if these facts weren’t true. In particular, we overlook that our own neuroscientific research practices, from our laboratory experiments to our often global travel, help drive climate change and ecosystem damage. We also hold privileged positions of authority in our societies but rarely speak out. Here, I argue that to help society create a survivable future, we neuroscientists can and must play our part. I will outline what the climate and ecological emergencies mean for us as neuroscientists. We highlight the psychological mechanisms that block us from taking action, and then outline what practical steps we can take to overcome these blocks and work towards sustainability. In particular, I will review environmental issues in neuroscience research, scientific computing, and conferences. I also highlight the key advocacy roles we can all play in our institutions and in society more broadly. The need for sustainable change has never been more urgent, and we call on all (neuro)scientists to act with the utmost urgency.

Saul Pandelakis

This conference is not led by a neuroscientist. Instead, you are getting a design researcher and sci-fi author obsessed with queer design, research, sexually active robots and human-machine relationships. So what can a queered design perspective offer to you, esteemed brain experts? Perhaps a fresh lens, some thought-provoking questions, and an invitation to explore some overlooked areas. Spoiler alert: this is not a plea for inclusivity. Unless..

Britta Westner

Most scientists need software to perform their a, and neuroscientists are no exception. Whether we work with reaction times, electrophysiological signals, or magnetic resonance imaging data, we rely on software to acquire, analyze, and statistically evaluate the raw data we obtain — or to generate such data if we work with simulations. In recent years there has been a shift toward relying on free, open-source scientific software (FOSSS) for neuroscience data analysis, in line with the broader open science movement in academia and wider industry trends. Importantly, FOSSS is typically developed by working scientists (not professional software developers), which sets up a precarious situation given the nature of the typical academic workplace wherein academics, especially in their early careers, are on short and fixed term contracts. In this talk, I will argue that the existing ecosystem of neuroscientific open-source software is brittle, and discuss why and how the neuroscience community needs to come together to ensure a healthy software ecosystem to the benefit of all. 

Erzsébet Toth Czifra

Dominik Welke

On July 6th, 1924, Hans Berger recorded the first-ever electroencephalogram from a human (a 17-year-old boy undergoing neurosurgical operation). On the centenary of this discovery, we brought together a meta-consortium representing several major international EEG programmes. Together, we developed and distributed a survey asking experts to reflect on the impact that EEG has had on our understanding of the brain and behaviour, and on the future of EEG in science and society. More than 500 experts, with 6,685 years of collective EEG experience, shared their thoughts, concerns, priorities and predictions (Mushtaq, Welke et al., 2024). Building on this momentum, we started developing a deontological framework for EEG research to support sustainable progress and realizing EEG’s full potential for science and society. We call for collective action focusing on validity, democratization, and responsibility. The draft of the manifesto will be shared and presented in this talk. We welcome your contributions and critique and invite you to support the implementation of the proposed actions in your working practice.