Lectures and seminars Cognitive Neuroscience Club with Marieke Weijs, Neural Control of Movement Lab at ETH Zurich
"Self-regulation of arousal through pupil-based biofeedback: From lab to real-world applications"
The Cognitive Neuroscience Club is hosting monthly seminars on the topic Cognitive Neuroscience.On Tuesday 11 June 2024, we welcome Dr. Marieke Weijs from the Neural Control of Movement Lab at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Abstract
The noradrenergic locus coeruleus is one of the key regulators of the brain’s arousal state, which influences cognition, behaviour, and mental-wellbeing. Utilising the link between non-luminant dependent changes in pupil size and activity of the locus coeruleus, our lab has recently shown that individuals can acquire volitional control of pupil size through biofeedback training and that this affects activity of the locus coeruleus. In this talk, I will first focus on how pupil size self-regulation affects cortical and cardiovascular arousal markers in pure self-regulation and dual task settings. To conclude, I will discuss the translational potential of pupil-based biofeedback training, particularly in the context of elite sports.