Invited speakers 2025
Dr. Irene Valori
Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Chair of Social Affective Touch, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, Germany
From Skin to Virtual Reality: Neurophysiology and Applications of Social Touch in the Real and Digital Worlds
TALKS
Touch is the earliest sense to develop and serves as the most direct means of connecting the bodily self with the external world, including objects and social partners. Skin properties and neurophysiological mechanisms delineate two distinct touch systems: discriminative touch, which processes stimulus features, and affective touch, which is tuned to interoceptive and emotional experiences. In this presentation, I will explore the definitions and neurophysiological underpinnings of social affective touch. I will also review developmental research highlighting the role of social touch from infancy through adulthood, emphasizing its applications in self-regulation and stress management interventions. Furthermore, I will examine the current lack of social touch within technology-mediated interactions and discuss innovative approaches to reintegrate touch into digital communication. This includes an overview of various technical strategies—from haptic devices to pseudohaptic techniques—and presentation of recent data on their physiological effects within Virtual Reality environments. Finally, I will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and future directions for advancing mediated social touch, aiming to enhance emotional connection and well-being in increasingly digital contexts. References Fairhurst, M., & Valori, I. 2023. A functional framework for multisensory and interactive mediated social touch experiences. In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences Workshops (IMXw '23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 46–51. https://doi.org/10.1145/3604321.3604349 Desnoyers-Stewart, J., Stepanova, E. R., Liu, P., Kitson, A., Pennefather, P. P., Ryzhov, V., & Riecke, B. E. (2023, April). Embodied telepresent connection (ETC): Exploring virtual social touch through pseudohaptics. In Extended abstracts of the 2023 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1-7).
Lorenzo Titone
PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Neural Tracking of Periodic Statistical Events Aids Language Learning and Predictive Processing
Our auditory environment is teeming with stimuli unfolding rhythmically over time. Low-frequency brain activity can synchronize to both acoustic and statistical rhythms contained in everyday auditory stimuli, such as speech. Yet, it is unknown how our brains can integrate these two types of information and use it to anticipate the timing and content of forthcoming events. In this talk, I will present two studies on the neural dynamics associated with rhythmic auditory processing. First, I will show results from an MEG study dissociating the neural sources that extract and integrate acoustic and statistical patterns in artificial speech sequences to enable pseudoword learning. Then, I will present new results from an EEG study showing that encoding periodic statistical structures in speech elicits downstream predictions about the timing and content of upcoming targets. Interestingly, we find that “when” and “what” predictions interact, pointing to their interdependence. These studies help to characterize the brain networks involved in tracking and integrating multiple types of rhythmic information structures, leading to behavioral learning, and to predictive brain dynamics that facilitate processing of expected targets at expected moments in time.
Rory Coyne
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Health Psychology at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences (RCSI)
Open Science: Rethinking Transparency and Collaboration in Neuroscience
Maximising the societal impact of scientific research requires effective co-production between researchers and knowledge users. However, transparency and collaboration in science are often stymied by paywalled resources, fragmented data sharing infrastructures, and misaligned reward systems. Moreover, conducting research in a “publish or perish” landscape fuels the proliferation of questionable research practices. This talk will provide an introduction to Open Science as a tool for promoting shared infrastructure, transparent pipelines and democratised knowledge. The talk will also examine how Open Science challenges traditional incentive structures within academic science, as well as the benchmarks for credible research conduct. In order to realise the potential of Open Science, we must look beyond simply “sharing more” and instead ask ourselves how the architecture of scientific collaboration must change. Failing to do risks perpetuating the very hierarchies that Open Science seeks to dismantle.
Enrico Maria Guarnuto
Research Assistant, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Italy
Deep (Mis)Vision: Mistaking AI models for Brains
Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) completely revolutionized the field of computer vision, and they are considered the state-of-the-art models for biological vision. Their behavioral resemblance to humans in object recognition tasks, however, risks being misinterpreted as theoretical adequacy. As Marr’s levels of analysis remind us, there is a critical difference between a system that functions and one that is understood. In this context, DNNs may represent a modern instance of a familiar epistemic error: confusing a system that works with one we actually understand. Collecting data from psychophysics, neuroimaging, and computational modelling, it is possible to highlight the ways DNNs resemble and differ from human visual behavior. Even though some networks replicate the ventral visual cortex's representational architecture and perform recognition tasks with similar accuracy, their internal computations remain opaque, insensitive to behavioral goals, and fragile to perturbations. Given these assumptions , statistical optimization, not mechanical explanation, is the best candidate for their success. By combining theoretical and behavioral viewpoints, it can be argued that in order for models of vision to be effective, they must first describe why perceptual systems accomplish specific tasks rather than just how they convert inputs into outputs. Although DNNs are very useful for generating hypotheses and conducting exploratory research, they should not be confused with models of human vision. Recognizing this distinction allows us to re-center behavioral analysis as the foundation for linking neural and computational levels. Deep (Mis)Vision thus highlights a growing methodological bias: the temptation to treat deep learning’s performance as evidence of deep understanding.
WORKSHOPS
María García de Viedma Ferreras
PhD candidate, CIMCYC, University of Granada, Spain
From Image Acquisition to Data Analysis – How fMRI is Used in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience
This workshop will provide an overview of how functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used in cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, covering the process from image acquisition to data analysis. We will first explore the types of research questions and experimental tasks that can be conducted inside the scanner, and the different MRI data outputs typically obtained: structural, diffusion-weighted (DTI), functional (task-based or resting-state), and multivoxel pattern data. The session will then introduce the fundamental requirements for fMRI analysis, such as data organization in BIDS format and the use of behavioural timing information (onsets and durations) that describe what happens at each moment of the experiment. Building on this, participants will gain a theoretical understanding of what neuroimaging preprocessing involves (e.g., realignment, normalization, smoothing) and the logic behind first- and second-level analyses, without going into computational detail. We will conclude with a short hands-on activity with the behavioral timing information of a specific task performed under the fMRI. If time and software availability allow, we will also use a preprocessed white matter dataset, where participants will visualize and extract tractography data with TrackVis (if installed on their computers).
Lorenzo Titone
PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Markov Chains for Artificial Language Using the ALPARC Toolbox
Artificial languages are often employed to study how humans can extract statistical regularities from speech to learn a new vocabulary. Statistical learning of transitional probabilities between syllables is a key factor for language acquisition. However, several other types of speech patterns can cue the learning of an artificial language. To control acoustic, phonological, linguistic, and statistical patterns during the learning of an artificial language, we developed an open-source toolbox: ALPARC. In this workshop, we will learn how to use ALPARC to generate artificial languages for linguistic statistical learning studies. In particular, we will focus on applying and developing a deterministic approach for constructing Markov chains as sequences of abstract tokens with stationary transitional probability distributions, to be used in any statistical learning design
Dr. Irene Valori
Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Chair of Social Affective Touch, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, Germany
Can We Feel Connected at a Distance? Experiencing Pseudo-haptic Social Touch in VR
Social touch is fundamental to fostering human connection, intimacy and well-being. Yet, with increasing social interactions occurring at a distance, new approaches are needed to bridge the physical gap (Fairhurst & Valori, 2023). Embodied Telepresent Connection (ETC) is a VR experience where participants embody light particle avatars and interact through pseudo-haptics: visual and auditory cues to proximity and touch designed to create an illusionary feeling of co-presence and bodily contact (Desnoyers-Stewart et al., 2023). For instance, particles get warmer in color as users get closer and, when they touch, fireworks are emitted from the location of touch. This multisensory approach creates illusions of social touch, overcoming the technical hurdles of bringing haptics into extended reality and remote social exchanges. Rather than simply replicating the haptic sensation of physical contact, the ETC creates new forms of digital tactile communication. During this workshop, attendees will be immersed in the ETC with or without pseudo-haptics. They will experience the ETC in solo-mode, interacting with a mirror of their own body, as well as in a dual-user, social mode. Participants will interact with a friend or will be paired with a stranger to explore this new social touch experience. We will discuss attendees’ experience together, and I will present preliminary data of ongoing research projects based on the ETC. Results suggest that the experience with pseudo-haptics increases self-reports of body ownership, sense of agency, engagement and co-presence. At the physiological level, pseudohaptic touch decreases heart rate, increases heart rate variability, and reduces stress. References Fairhurst, M., & Valori, I. 2023. A functional framework for multisensory and interactive mediated social touch experiences. In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences Workshops (IMXw '23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 46–51. https://doi.org/10.1145/3604321.3604349 Desnoyers-Stewart, J., Stepanova, E. R., Liu, P., Kitson, A., Pennefather, P. P., Ryzhov, V., & Riecke, B. E. (2023, April). Embodied telepresent connection (ETC): Exploring virtual social touch through pseudohaptics. In Extended abstracts of the 2023 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1-7).
Dr. Emma Norris
Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Brunel University of London, UK
Open Science Tools for Transparent Neuroscience: From Principles to Practice
Transparency and reproducibility are increasingly recognized as essential pillars of rigorous neuroscience. Yet, many early career researchers and students face practical challenges when implementing open science practices in their everyday research. This two-hour hands-on workshop is designed for early career researchers and students who want to build a strong foundation in transparent and reproducible neuroscience. The session introduces key principles of open science, with a focus on preregistration using the Open Science Framework (OSF). Participants will learn how preregistration enhances research credibility by distinguishing hypothesis-driven analyses from exploratory work, reducing researcher degrees of freedom, and promoting cumulative, trustworthy science. Attendees will be introduced to OSF and explore how preregistration templates can be used to document hypotheses, methods, and planned analyses before data collection. The workshop will also highlight how preregistration integrates with other open practices such as data sharing, version control, and preprints. By the end of this session, participants will be able to design and submit a preregistration for their own research using OSF templates and identify community resources to support continued adoption of open science. A shared OSF folder containing all workshop materials, templates, and additional resources will be made available for participants to access after the session for ongoing learning and reference. The workshop will be delivered by Dr Emma Norris (Brunel University of London), a Senior Lecturer in Public Health, behaviour change researcher and Co-Chair of the European Health Psychology Society’s Open Science Special Interest Group.
Francisco Javier Pérez Comino
PhD candidate, CIMCYC, University of Granada, Spain
From Neuromodulation to Behaviour Change – Principles, Applications, and Practical Targeting
This workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of neuromodulation and its translational potential in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. The session will first cover the mechanisms and main components of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique, with a focus on how it can modulate neural activity and influence behavior. We will then discuss how neuromodulation can be integrated with cognitive or behavioral training to design multimodal interventions aimed at promoting behavioral change. In the hands-on session, participants will learn how to identify and localize cortical targets using the 10–20 EEG system, practicing the anatomical mapping of specific brain areas. If time and software availability allow, we will also illustrate the use of Brainsight neuronavigation software (subject to availability in the computer lab) to demonstrate how to reconstruct individual brain anatomy from T1-weighted MRI images and how to define MNI coordinates for stimulation targets. Materials required for the practical session: EEG cap (10–20 system) or any other similar cap, measuring tape.