Daniel Baldauf

Via delle Regole, 101 - 38060 Mattarello
tel. 0461 283040
daniel.baldauf[at]unitn [dot] it
Formazione

2019 – present        Associate Professor at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2017                         Habilitation for Associate Professor 

2016 – 2019            Assistant Professor at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2016 – 2020           Director of the MEG facility at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2014 – 2018            Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

2009 – 2014            Postdoctoral Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McGovern Institute for Brain Research, under supervision of Dr. Robert Desimone.

2008 – 2009            Postdoctoral Scholar in the EU-project "Grasp" with Dr. Heiner Deubel and Junior Lecturer                              in the Master program "Neuro-Cognitive Psychology", Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich,                          Germany.

2006 – 2007            Research as Fulbright fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), under supervision of Dr. Richard Andersen.

2005 – 2008            DFG-Graduate School "Orientation and Motion in Space" and dissertation under supervision of Dr. Heiner Deubel, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Thesis: 'Visual selection of multiple movement goals'.

2005                     Diploma in Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

2004 – 2005            Research Assistant of Dr. Marc Wittman and Dr. Ernst Poeppel at the Centre for Human-Machine-Interaction of the Generation Research Program, Germany.

2001 – 2005            Research Assistant of Dr. Heiner Deubel, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

2000 – 2005            Undergraduate and graduate studies of Psychology and Neurobiology (minor), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany.

Carriera accademica ed attività didattica

2019 – present        Associate Professor at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2017                         Habilitation for Associate Professor 

2016 – 2019            Assistant Professor at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2016 – 2020           Director of the MEG facility at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy.

2014 – 2018            Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

 

 

Past teaching activities:

  • University of Trento, CIMeC, MA-program:‘Research Design and Statistics’(2016-2018), in which students learn the proper conceptualization and design of research studies in the fields of psychology and cognitive sciences, as well as an introduction to the statistical analyses used to analyze different types of data (behavioral responses, EEG recordings etc.)
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, MA-program:‘MEG Hands-on methods’(2016-present), a hands-on introduction in the analysis of MEG data covering classical evoked responses and frequency analyses of brain responses.
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, MA-program:‘Computational Skills and Programming’(2016-present), in which students learn computational tools to program their own experimental psychological tests and analyze recorded data (e.g., using MATLAB).
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, MA-program:‘Brain Connectivity class(2017-present), a seminar introducing concepts and experimental studies of brain connectivity. 
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, MA-program:‘Foundations of Brain Imaging’ (2018-present), a lecture introducing concepts, methods and analyses of concurrent functional brain imaging techniques (fMRI, EEG/MEG, and transcranial brain stimulation).
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, PhD-program:‘Code of conduct of science’ (2017-present), a lecture introducing related concepts in the light of psychological / cognitive sciences research.
  • University of Trento, CIMeC, PhD-program:‘MEG Hands-on methods’(2016-present), a hands-on introduction in the analysis of MEG data covering classical evoked responses and frequency analyses of brain responses.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, course 9.S915 together with Dr. Tomaso Poggio, Dr. Ellen Hildreth, and Dr. Robert Desimone: ‘Aspects of a computational theory of intelligence’ (2014-2015).
  • Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich, Germany), Department of Psychology, BA-program: ‘Quantitative methods and statistics for psychologists’ (2008 – 2009). 
  • Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich, Germany), Department of Psychology, BA-program: ‚Psychological representations of time and space’ (2008 – 2009).
  • Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich, Germany), Department of Psychology, MA-program: ‘Visual perception in action and sensory-motor control’(2005 – 2006).
  • Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich, Germany), Department of Psychology, MA-program: ‘Visual perception, attention, and memory’(2005 – 2006).
  • Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich, Germany), Department of Psychology, MA-program: ‘Motor functions’ (2005-2007).
Interessi di ricerca

The communication between distant brain areas and the information flow between them is one of the most urgent and most fascinating questions of modern neuroscience.

We use human brain imaging techniques to study the communication between brain areas by means of neural oscillations and synchrony. Magnetoencephalography(MEG/EEG) allows us to capture the highly dynamic interactions in large-scale networks with millisecond precision.

We seek to understand the general principles by which the directed communication between different brain areas may help orchestrate perception and sensorimotor control.

 

My current research at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC, University of Trento) investigates the general principles by which the directed communication between different brain areas may help orchestrate perception and sensorimotor control. Hereby we focus on fundamental psychological functions, such as 

  • (1) Selective Visual and Auditory Attention processes, 
  • (2) Working Memory
  • (3) Executive Control functions 
  • (4) Alertness, Wakefulness, and Sleep.

 

To investigate these functions, we use a multi-modal neuroimaging approach in the lab, which involves classical psychological research methods such as behavioral task performance measures (testing reaction times, discrimination accuracy) and eye-tracking, but also magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Often, we combine these tools within the same experimental subjects to complement spatial (e.g., fMRI) and temporal resolution (as in MEG), or to confirm measures of functional connectivity (i.e., coherent neural oscillations in two or more areas) with the subject’s individual anatomical connectivity by means of diffusion tractography (DTI). 

Our analyses focus on the communication between distant brain areas and the information flow between, which is one of the most urgent questions of modern neuroscience. We use this combination of various human brain imaging techniques to study the communication between brain areas by means of neural oscillations and synchrony. In particular, the magnetoencephalography (MEG/EEG) allows us to capture the highly dynamic interactions in large-scale networks with millisecond precision. 

 

Since 2016 I’ve been appointed as the director of CIMeC’s MEG facility and head of the ‘Attention Network Group’ (for more information see: https://www.cimec.unitn.it/541/attention-network-group). Our current research activities are structured in the following five main research projects:

 

 

1. Top-down mechanisms of visual and auditory attention

In this project, we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings to investigate top-down mechanisms of visual attention. The superb temporal resolution and the whole-head coverage of MEG allows us to study interactions of wide-spread neural networks by means of neural oscillations and synchrony. In particular, we became interested in mechanisms subserving non-spatial attention, e.g. when searching for a certain color (see Marinato & Baldauf, 2019; Baldauf, 2018; Schwedhelm et al., 2017; Baldauf & Desimone, in rev.; Baldauf & Desimone, 2014). 

 

2. Frequency tagging functionally specialized brain areas

In MEG and EEG recording we often use frequency-tagged stimuli, i.e. different aspects of a visual scene are updated periodically at slightly different presentation rhythms. After Fourier-transforming the whole brain activity, we can identify areas that picked up the stimulus’ oscillation patterns and study their role in processing certain aspects of the layout. In this project, we also developed a 2D-Fourier based frequency-tagging approach that allows tagging different aspects of a scene simultaneously and retrieving phase-locking values and information about the relative phase-lags (‘latencies’) for various functional compartmentalizations in high-level visual cortex (see DeVries & Baldauf, in rev.) and auditory cortex (Marinato & Baldauf, 2019; Baldauf & Desimone, in rev.; Baldauf & Desimone, 2014).

 

3. Functional and anatomical connectivity

When we study patterns of functional connectivity, e.g. in terms of coherent oscillatory activity in two brain regions, we also try to pinpoint the anatomical basis of these functional connectivities. To do so we analyze DTI scans in our participants and reconstruct fiber bundles in the white matter that connect the respective sites of activation. This project is an ongoing collaboration with the Neuroinformatics group at Fondazione Bruno Kessler.

 

4. Visual attention during the preparation of sequential behavior

Much of human intelligent and complex behavior is based on the skillful combination of motor primitives and sequential organization. In this line of experiment human participants are asked to prepare for behavioral sequences. We observe that attention processes play an important role in the preparation and planning of such sequences. For example, attention splits into multiple foci as to cover several (up to three) subsequent goal positions in parallel (see Baldauf, 2018; Baldauf, 2011; Baldauf & Deubel, 2010; Baldauf et al., 2008a, 2008b). 

 

 

5. Changes to the patterns of functional connectivity in various states of resting wakefulness and sleep.

In this project, we explore with high-resolving magnetoencephalography signals the dynamic changes in brain communication as the human participants are in various states of resting wakefulness or as they undergo cycles of various sleep stages (see Brancaccio et al., in rev.).

 

Attività di ricerca

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Brain oscillations and neural synchrony

Visual Attention

 

find more information on: www.danielbaldauf.org

 

My main research activities are:

1. Top-down mechanisms of visual and auditory attention

In this project, we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings to investigate top-down mechanisms of visual attention. The superb temporal resolution and the whole-head coverage of MEG allows us to study interactions of wide-spread neural networks by means of neural oscillations and synchrony. In particular, we became interested in mechanisms subserving non-spatial attention, e.g. when searching for a certain color (see Marinato & Baldauf, 2019; Baldauf, 2018; Schwedhelm et al., 2017; Baldauf & Desimone, in rev.; Baldauf & Desimone, 2014). 

 

2. Frequency tagging functionally specialized brain areas

In MEG and EEG recording we often use frequency-tagged stimuli, i.e. different aspects of a visual scene are updated periodically at slightly different presentation rhythms. After Fourier-transforming the whole brain activity, we can identify areas that picked up the stimulus’ oscillation patterns and study their role in processing certain aspects of the layout. In this project, we also developed a 2D-Fourier based frequency-tagging approach that allows tagging different aspects of a scene simultaneously and retrieving phase-locking values and information about the relative phase-lags (‘latencies’) for various functional compartmentalizations in high-level visual cortex (see DeVries & Baldauf, in rev.) and auditory cortex (Marinato & Baldauf, 2019; Baldauf & Desimone, in rev.; Baldauf & Desimone, 2014).

 

3. Functional and anatomical connectivity

When we study patterns of functional connectivity, e.g. in terms of coherent oscillatory activity in two brain regions, we also try to pinpoint the anatomical basis of these functional connectivities. To do so we analyze DTI scans in our participants and reconstruct fiber bundles in the white matter that connect the respective sites of activation. This project is an ongoing collaboration with the Neuroinformatics group at Fondazione Bruno Kessler.

 

4. Visual attention during the preparation of sequential behavior

Much of human intelligent and complex behavior is based on the skillful combination of motor primitives and sequential organization. In this line of experiment human participants are asked to prepare for behavioral sequences. We observe that attention processes play an important role in the preparation and planning of such sequences. For example, attention splits into multiple foci as to cover several (up to three) subsequent goal positions in parallel (see Baldauf, 2018; Baldauf, 2011; Baldauf & Deubel, 2010; Baldauf et al., 2008a, 2008b). 

 

 

5. Changes to the patterns of functional connectivity in various states of resting wakefulness and sleep.

In this project, we explore with high-resolving magnetoencephalography signals the dynamic changes in brain communication as the human participants are in various states of resting wakefulness or as they undergo cycles of various sleep stages (see Brancaccio et al., in rev.).

Appartenenza a società e comitati scientifici

Editorial Board Membership:

Nature Scientific Reports

 

Reviewing:

Attention, Perception & Performance

Brain & Cognition

Cerebral Cortex 

Experimental Brain Research

Human Factors

International Journal of Psychophysiology

International Journal of Social Robotics

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Journal of Experimental Psychology: HPP

Journal of Vision

Journal of Neurophysiology

Journal of Neuroscience

Nature Scientific Reports

Neuroimage

Neuropsychologia

Neuron

Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society

Science

Vision Research

 

Membership: 

Society for Neuroscience (SfN)

Vision Sciences Society (VSS)

Premi e riconoscimenti

Grants & Awards:

Grant for Doctoral studies of the German Research Council (DFG), 2005-2008

Grant of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for studies abroad, 2006-2007

Fulbright Commission Travel-Grant, 2007

 

Student Investigator Award of the Vision Science Society (VSS), 2007

Convegni e conferenze

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2018

IOP, Lucca, Italy, 2018

ECVP, Trieste, Italy, 2018

Biomag, USA, 2018

SIPF, Rome, Italy, 2017

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2017

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2017

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2016

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2016

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2015

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2015

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2014

Biomag, Halifax, Canada, 2014

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2014

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2013

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2013

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2012

ECVP, Sardinia, Italy, 2012

Biomag, Paris, 2012

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2012

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2011

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2011

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2010

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2010

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2009

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2009

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2008

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2008

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2007

Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), USA, 2007

Meeting of the Vision Science Society (VSS), USA, 2006

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