Welcome

I am a cognitive neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. I combine neuroimaging and neuromodulation methods with graph theory, large language models (LLMs), and behavioral modeling to explore cognitive changes across the adult lifespan.

I am particularly interested in the age-related changes in the trajectories of memory processes and their interaction with executive functions. I am also a strong supporter of open and reproducible research practices and strive to implement them in my own work.

Please reach out if you’re interested to chat or to collaborate! 📮

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Interests
  • Cognitive Aging
  • Neurolinguistics and LLMs
  • Network Neuroscience
  • Non-invasive brain stimulation
  • Open and reproducible research
Education

  • PhD Cognitive Neuroscience

    Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

  • MSc Clinical Linguistics

    University of Potsdam, Germany & University of Groningen, The Netherlands

  • BA Linguistics

    Humboldt University Berlin

Recent News

📚 New paper out in eLife

Executive Resources Shape the Impact of Language Predictability Across the Adult Lifespan

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Projects
Causal Roles of Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) and Medial Frontal Gyrus to Semantic and Domain-General Executive Control
Language Predictability across the Adult Lifespan
Language Predictability

Language Predictability across the Adult Lifespan

In this project, we explore the role of domain-general executive networks in the generation and processing of word surprisal and how these processes change over the adult lifespan. To this end, we implemented a natural reading paradigm and combined with an n-back task to increase executive load in some task blocks. We use language surprisal, generated with GPT-2, as proxy of predictability. In a first step, we tested the paradigm in a large sample (n = 175 participants, aged 18-85 years) behaviorally – online and in the lab. Our results show that predictability effects increase with age, such that higher cognitive load consistently diminished the impact of word predictability on reading speed. These findings highlight the resource-dependent nature of predictive mechanisms in language comprehension across the lifespan. We conclude that linguistic predictions rely on executive resources. We are now running this study in the MRI and are also planning to explore the causal relevance of certain regions via non-invasive brain stimulation. Related Output: Manuscripts Executive Resources Shape the Effects of Language Predictability Across the Adult Lifespan Conferences Link to the poster I presented at SNL 2023

Semantic Cognition across the Adult Lifespan
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Recent Publications
Executive Resources Shape the Effects of Language Predictability Across the Adult Lifespan
Causal contributions of left inferior and medial frontal cortex to semantic and executive control
Causal Contributions of Left Inferior and Medial Frontal Cortex to Semantic and Executive Control
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