Main Research Interests

We are investigating the effect of synchronized motor activity on cognitive functions in various populations, such as healthy individuals and those with neurological or psychiatric conditions.

This projects employs behavioral measurements and mobile EEG technology to explore the relationship between synchronized motor activity and cognitive performance, with a specific emphasis on selective attention and verbal long-term memory.

Second, we examine the effects of long-lasting and acute stress on speech, as well as the mitigating influence of social support. This line of research employs a range of psychophysiological tools, including ECG, EEG, salivary cortisol analysis, and comprehensive questionnaires, to investigate the complex relationship between stress, social dynamics, and auditory language processing. The implications of our research extend beyond understanding the mechanisms behind stress-induced cognitive changes, as we also aim to develop interventions to improve doctor-patient communication as well as mental well-being

Methods

EEG (ERP und TFA)

Mobile EEG and ambulatory assessments

TMS, tDCS

Development of experimental paradigms 

Members

  • Prof. Dr. Maren Schmidt-Kassow
  • Carolin Blauth
  • Henk Droste
  • Carina Fried
  • Verena Grimm
  • Alessia Nadia Günther
  • Hannah Schad
  • Nadine Steinbach
  • Timothy White
  • Johanna Wulf

Collaborators

Prof. Dr. Jochen Kaiser, Frankfurt

Prof. Silke Paulmann, Essex, UK

PD Dr. Silke Matura, Frankfurt

PD Dr. Christian Kell, Frankfurt

Dr. Cornelius Abel , MPI for empirical aesthetics, Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Kirsten Hötting, Hamburg

Prof. Dr. Maria Paula Roncaglia Denissen, Amsterdam

Prof. Dr. Stefan Debener, Oldenburg

Selected Publications

Schmidt-Kassow M, Günther, N, Salim-Latzel, M, Kaiser, J, Paulmann, S (in press). Perceived prolonged stress leads to difficulties in recognizing sadness from voice cues in men but not women, Emotion.

Schmidt-Kassow M, Kaiser J. (2023) The brain in motion-cognitive effects of simultaneous motor activity. Front Integr Neurosci. May 25;17:1127310. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1127310. PMID: 37304529; PMCID: PMC10248180.

Gibson MT, Schmidt-Kassow M, Paulmann S. How neurotypical listeners recognize emotions expressed through vocal cues by speakers with high-functioning autism. PLoS One. 2023 Oct 24;18(10):e0293233. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293233. PMID: 37874793; PMCID: PMC10597502.

Schmidt-Kassow M, White TN, Abel C, Kaiser J. (2023) Pre-stimulus beta power varies as a function of auditory-motor synchronization and temporal predictability. Front Neurosci. Mar 8;17:1128197. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1128197. PMID: 36992854; PMCID: PMC10042076.

Schmidt-Kassow M, Wilkinson D, Denby E, Ferguson H. (2016) Synchronised vestibular signals increase the P300 event-related potential elicited by auditory oddballs. Brain Res. Oct 1;1648(Pt A):224-231. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.07.019. Epub 2016 Jul 14.

Conradi N, Abel C, Frisch S, Kell CA, Kaiser J, Schmidt-Kassow M. (2016) Actively but not passively synchronized motor activity amplifies predictive timing. Neuroimage. Oct 1;139:211-217. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.033. Epub 2016 Jun 18

Kotz SA, Schmidt-Kassow M. (2015) Basal ganglia contribution to rule expectancy and temporal predictability in speech. Cortex. Jul;68:48-60. doi:.10.1016/j.cortex.2015.02.021. Epub 2015 Mar 14

Schmidt-Kassow M, Deusser M, Thiel C, Otterbein S, Montag C, Reuter M, Banzer W, Kaiser J (2013). Physical exercise during encoding improves vocabulary learning in young female adults: a neuroendocrinological study. PLoS One. May 20;8(5):e64172. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064172. 

Schmidt-Kassow M, Schädle S, Otterbein S, Thiel C, Doehring A, Lötsch J, Kaiser J. Kinetics of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor following low-intensity versus high-intensity exercise in men and women. (2012) Neuroreport. Oct 24;23(15):889-93. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32835946ca.