PhD Position in Computational and Experimental Neuroscience

Strasbourg, France         ·        Full time

PhD position in Strasbourg / France in October 2023 

Topic: Mathematical modeling and behavioral experiments to improve visual attention

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by, inter alia, inattention. It may be treated successfully by pharmacological medication. Since such medication typically yields cognitive adverse side effects, an alternative non-pharmacological feedback training setup may represent an alternative light treatment. The PhD-project proposes a combination of auditory stimulation and performance feedback to demonstrate that non-pharmacological feedback may also improve visual attention deficits. To this end, theoretical modeling, control feedback and experimental psychophysics and neuropsychology will be employed. The PhD-student will perform own simple reaction-time experiments to study visual attention under auditory stimulation with performance feedback. In addition, she/he will subsequently study mathematical models of behavioral feedback and will combine all results with insights gained from an own EEG-experiment with healthy and visual attention-deficit subjects.

Where:  Team MLMS (iCube) / Team MIMESIS (INRIA) and team INSERM1114, all in Strasbourg / France

When: start September / October 2023 for 3 years

Who: the preferred candidate should have good knowledge in applied mathematics, good programming skills, strong interest in mathematical modeling and experimental work.

Why: You are strongly interested in pre-clinical applications and motivated to learn to apply various tools in computational and experimental neuroscience.

For more information send an email to Axel Hutt, email: axel.hutt at inria.fr . For applications please send your documents.

Feedback schemes are well-known to improve visual attention. The aim of our project is to develop a computational feedback tool, that may be implemented as a software utility. A good candidate for such a non-neural feedback is performance feedback, which feeds back the real-time behavioral performance. In such a setting, visual attention is reflected in the behavioral performance. Moreover, it is well-known that auditory stimulation improves visual attention. The optimal combination of performance feedback and auditory stimulation permits to improve visual attention optimally. This will also be examined by experimental electroencephalographic data (EEG). To this end, the present project combines mathematical modeling of behavioral feedback, experimental psycho-physics and data analysis of EEG experiments to identify an experimental protocol for optimal visual attention improvement.

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Axel Hutt
Directeur de Recherche
Equipe MIMESIS
INRIA Nancy Grand Est
Bâtiment IHU
1, Place de l’Hopital
67000 Strasbourg, France
https://mimesis.inria.fr/members/axel-hutt/