Research Unit

Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab

Acronym
GHEP
Duration
22 October 2019 → Ongoing
Group leader
Other information
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Biological psychiatry
    • Biological psychiatry
Description
The Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab was founded as a multidisciplinary research unit to investigate psychiatric illnesses, all within the field of affective disorders. We are specialized for using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (NIBS), such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and (transcutaneous) Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS), as well as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Furthermore, we make use of stress paradigms to investigate how the brain responds under stress and how NIBS can influence this stress reactivity in the healthy state. To measure the effects of the NIBS techniques, we make use of multimodal brain imaging techniques such as (S)PET, fMRI, EEG. We record psychophysiological variables such as skin conductance, heart rate (variability), pupil dilation, and cortisol. We measure higher cognitive processes, such as working memory, over emotional and non-emotional stimuli. Given the multidisciplinary approach, we host lab members with different backgrounds, including medical doctors, psychologists, neuroscientists, engineers, physicists, veterinarians, data analysts,…