Neuropsychology

Each day more than 400 people in the Netherlands suffer a form of acute onset brain injury such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Acquired brain injury can have direct physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural consequences that may recover in the first months after the injury, but these consequences may also persist into chronic, long-lasting problems that interfere with daily life functioning and societal participation. In this research line, we study the consequences of acquired brain injury across the life span from a biopsychosocial perspective. The research projects are conducted along the following topics: 1) development and evaluation of instruments for diagnostic, prognostic and outcome assessment, 2) evaluation of the clinical and cost effectiveness of neuropsychological interventions, and 3) investigation of factors that influence outcome after brain injury. Our research is both fundamental and applied, leading to practical solutions for people with brain injuries and their caregivers, and health care professionals. The translation of research findings is implemented via the Limburg Brain Injury Center (www.hersenletsellimburg.nl). 

This research line investigates how predictive dynamics guide and shape human behaviour across perception, action, and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. We aim to understand the human capacity to generate, update, and exploit temporal and formal predictions to successfully adapt to a constantly changing environment, including how we process predictive emotional cues in communicative signals, and what occurs when these mechanisms are disrupted or dysfunctional. We examine these processes and their neuroanatomical foundations across multiple systems, from basic sensorimotor functions, through learning and emotion, to language, speech, and music. Using cutting-edge multimodal neuroimaging in combination with cognitive and behavioural assessments, we employ comparative approaches with animal models and translational research in clinical populations, with the ultimate goal of developing novel, individualised treatment strategies. Our work highlights the contributions of large-scale cortico-subcortical brain networks and their interactions with bodily physiological signals in the uni- and multimodal processing and integration of complex environmental stimuli, such as music and speech (for more information, visit www.band-lab.com).

Human behaviour emerges from the continuous interaction between neural activity, bodily movement, and the surrounding environment. In this research line, we investigate the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive-motor control during natural behaviour, with a particular focus on posture and gait across the lifespan and in people with movement impairments. Using mobile brain–body imaging (MoBI), we record brain activity (mobile EEG), muscle activity (EMG), and full-body kinematics while participants move freely in realistic environments. This approach allows us to study how large-scale brain–muscle networks coordinate complex movements such as walking and balance, and how these processes change with aging or neurological conditions including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. By combining behavioural experiments, wearable neurophysiology, and advanced network and computational analyses, our research aims to uncover fundamental principles of cognitive-motor control and to inform the development of improved assessment and rehabilitation strategies for people with movement disorders.

The brain continuously generates predictions about incoming sensory information based on prior experience. These predictions shape perception, learning, and behaviour, allowing humans to interact efficiently with complex and changing environments. However, the neural and computational mechanisms underlying how predictions are formed, updated, and generalised across contexts remain incompletely understood. In this research line we investigate the neural mechanisms and computational principles of predictive processing. Using behavioural experiments, neuroimaging and electrophysiology (e.g., EEG and fMRI), combined with computational modelling, we study how predictions interact with memory and perception, how they vary across individuals, and how they change across the lifespan. By linking behaviour, brain activity, and computational models, this research aims to develop mechanistic accounts of cognition that can contribute to emerging approaches in computational psychiatry and precision neuropsychology, ultimately supporting more individualised understanding of cognitive functioning and adaptive behaviour. More information can be found on the lab website (www.pred-lab.com).

This research line focuses on neuropsychological development from childhood through adolescence, examining how brain development relates to cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning in everyday life, with attention to interindividual differences in development. A key perspective within this line is transdiagnostic mechanisms, aiming to understand neural and cognitive processes that cut across traditional diagnostic categories. Rather than focusing solely on specific disorders, the research explores underlying dimensions-such as attention, executive functioning, sensory processing, time management, learning processes, and self-regulation-that contribute to a range of developmental outcomes. Another important component is the development and evaluation of assessment instruments. This includes designing innovative, ecologically valid tools to measure neuropsychological functioning in children and adolescents, as well as examining their psychometric properties, such as reliability, validity, and clinical usefulness. These efforts aim to improve early identification and more precise characterization of developmental strengths and difficulties. The research line also investigates interventions and support strategies, evaluating their effectiveness and exploring which approaches work best for whom and under what conditions. By linking assessment, underlying mechanisms, and intervention outcomes, the research seeks to contribute to more personalized and evidence-based support for children and adolescents in educational and clinical settings. Overall, this work aims to advance understanding of developmental neuropsychology and translate this knowledge into improved assessment, guidance, and intervention in real-world contexts.