Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory

The G-lab

The G-lab is directed by Dr Graham Jamieson and serves as a research facility specialising in the use of non-invasive human electrophysiology in the study of all aspects of human psychological life. Previously experimental psychology has compartmentalised the study of human mental life into cognitive, affective and social subdivisions. The development of human neuroscience has shown that these domains are never separated in the operations of the human brain.

Our lab employs a sophisticated suite of complex-systems or neural-networks analysis methods which integrate data from electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), traditional behavioural and contemporary phenomenological measures.

The lab is equipped with 2 X Neuroscan SynAmps2 64 channel EEG systems, 2 X Neuroscan 40 channel NuAmps systems, a 16-channel BioPac amplifier system for recording heart rate, EOG, GSR/SCR and EMG, multiple Polar Heart rate wrist monitors. For traditional EEG biofeedback we employ ProComp2 (Thought Technologies) amplifier and for cortical source (sLORETA) based neurofeedback we have 2 X Mitsar 19-channel EEG systems.

All our recording systems are highly portable and are often employed in a mobile capacity offsite enabling us to take our research to participants located in regional communities who could not otherwise attend our campus-based laboratory.

Theoretical approach

Our lab seeks both to test and to apply the latest developments in theoretical neuroscience, identified under the umbrella term “Interoceptive Predictive Coding” (see Tsakiris, M. and De Preester, H. eds., 2018. The Interoceptive Mind: From Homeostasis to Awareness. OUP) as the most comprehensive framework available for the study and understanding of how cognitive, affective and social processes are integrated in the working of the human mind brain-body system.

Strategic research

  • Neuromodulation strategies for the prevention and treatment of trauma-related dissociation.
  • Clinical applications of rhythmic sensory entrainment in functional neural networks (also in conjunction with Virtual Reality lab).
  • Neural networks regulating conscious states and state transitions (sleep, hypnosis, meditation, religious experience).
  • Mindfulness training, flow and sports performance.
  • Human sexuality and sexual response (also in conjunction with Biospsychology lab).