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Lau Møller Andersen

Postdoc, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Denmark and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

During his AIAS-COFUND Fellowship Lau Møller Andersen will be working on the project 'The cerebellum as an internal clock – altered cerebellar activity in Parkinson’s disease giving rise to abnormal temporal discrimination?'

Project description

In my project, I will examine the hypothesis that the cerebellum functions as and internal clock and how the dysfunction of this clock may give rise to abnormal temporal discrimination in Parkinson’s disease patients. I will use the technology of magnetoencephalography to non-invasively record neural activity of the cerebellum as it unfolds.

The cerebellum is an understudied part of the human brain for two reasons. Firstly, it has been believed to be related only to motor behaviour and coordination, Secondly, it has been believed difficult to image with neuroimaging techniques. Recent studies however has shown that the cerebellum is involved in many cognitive domains, e.g. memory, language, arithmetic, emotion processing, etc., that the cerebrum is involved it. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated recently that magnetoencephalography is sensitive to neural activity from the cerebellum. In my own line of work, I have found evidence of the cerebellum timing and predicting sensory stimulation.

The time is thus ripe for a full investigation into the cerebellum as an internal clock using magnetoencephalography and the implications of its potential dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease patients.

Short bio

Lau Møller Andersen studied Philosophy and Linguistics (BA) and Neuroscience (PhD) at Aarhus University. In between these two degrees he studied Brain and Cognitive Science (MSc) at the University of Amsterdam. He has worked on the neuroscience of consciousness and sensory expectations primarily by the use of the neuroimaging technique of magnetoencephalography. Finally, he takes a keen interest in coding using languages such as MATLAB, Python and R.

Project title: The cerebellum as an internal clock – altered cerebellar activity in Parkinson’s disease giving rise to abnormal temporal discrimination?

Area of research: Cognitive Neuroscience

Fellowship period: 1 Dec 2020 - 31 Jan 2024

Fellowship type: AIAS-COFUND II Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow

CV:

Curriculum Vitae

Selected Publications

Contact:

lmandersen@cfin.au.dk 

AU Pure profile

This fellowship has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 754513 and The Aarhus University Research Foundation.