Prof. Frank Van Overwalle, Co-Director of Humanise, and a team of young researchers helped install and test the new transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and neuronavigation systems, which will strengthen research on non-invasive brain stimulation at the VUB Etterbeek campus and its effects on a wide range of cognitive, social, emotional, and motor functions. To help VUB researchers become familiar with and evaluate these new facilities, an introductory rate of just €30 per hour is currently available. Additional accessories will soon be added to enable comfortable and effective stimulation of atypical brain regions, such as the cerebellum, an area of rapidly growing scientific interest. Prof. Van Overwalle’s team in particular investigates how cerebellar TMS influences implicit, nonconscious social learning and social interaction. This research might have important implications for understanding autism, and might help to improve social abilities.
