A student sitting by an ECG cap, which is draped over a model head on a table

Brain, Body and Mind

Members of our research group apply cognitive neuroscience and physiology research methods to explore the interactions between the brain, the body and the mind. Topics of interest include eye movement recording, environmental cognition, multisensory representation of the body, the bodily self, chronic pain, biomarkers of stress, mental scene construction, autobiographical memory, language, stroke, autism, mental imagery, intelligence, bilingual cognition, and related research into effective measurement and intervention.

We seek to understand the links between the brain, body and mind using behavioural and cognitive experimental approaches, neuropsychological assessment, structural and functional MRI, electroencephalography, VR, eye tracking and wearable sensors, hair and salivary biomarkers.

Our work is driven by extensive collaborations outside this group. A multi-disciplinary focus comes from UK and international academic collaborators in disciplines such as computing, art, architecture, and health. An applied focus comes from collaboration with non-academic partners such as healthcare practitioners, artists, charities, museums, and industry partners.

Central to all our research is individuals or patients who are experiencing changes to their brain, mind or body, such as those with chronic pain, stress, stroke, dementia, pregnancy, and neurological disorders.

We offer a Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience MSc and Psychology PhD. We have also identified a range of innovative research project opportunities for postgraduate researchers.

If you would like to find out more about what we do, please email [email protected]

Our people

  • Neal Chauhan
  • Tim Entecott
  • Eray Ertugrul
  • David Green
  • Evie Jakes
  • Lovell Jones
  • Larissa Kalisch
  • Ryan Laughton
  • Sanam Malik
  • Maria Murga
  • Lydia Robinson
  • Rathna Seetharaman
  • Claudia Silver
  • Paris Smale
  • Lorraine Tindale

  • Applying eye-tracking to architectural design
  • Assessing Walking EMDR Therapy (WET) as a treatment for trauma-related illnesses
  • Using action video gaming to improve driving hazard detection
  • Exploring creative methods and stories for engagement in nature from neurodivergent people’s perspectives
  • Estimation of premorbid cognitive ability in people with neurological impairment
  • Body representation in Fibromyalgia and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
  • Mental scene construction in autobiographical memory
  • Bilingual cognition
  • Pain in athletes
  • Bodily self-perception in autism, depersonalisation, and out of body experiences
  • Predicting cognitive outcome and improving neurorehabilitation after stroke
  • Barriers and enablers for including adults with cognitive impairments in health research

Jolly, J. K., Assaf, N., Higgins, B. E., Aspell, J. E. and Michael, E. (2026) 'EEG changes associated with hallucinations caused by Charles Bonnet Syndrome', Frontiers in Neurology: Sec. Neuro-Ophthalmology, 16, 1697094.

Lang, A., Álvarez-Martínez, M., Zariwala, M. G., Ganesh, A., Geva, S., Ray, S., ... Deb, S. K. (2026) 'Oral nutritional interventions for stroke recovery: a systematic review', Nutrition Reviews, 84(3), pp. 615-632. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaf179

Seetharaman, R. B., Allen, P. M., Keyes, H. and Pearson, D. G. (2026) 'A systematic review of gaming effects on driving related skills', Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 188, 103510. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2026.103510

Lane, A. M., Micklewright, D. and Meijen, C. (2025) 'Understanding fatigue: a psychological framework for health and performance', Sci, 7(4), pp. 162. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/sci7040162

Aminu, A., Aspell, J. E., Vasconcelos e Sa, D. and Bright, P. (2025) 'Estimation of premorbid intelligence in schizophrenia: a systematic literature review', Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 47(4), pp. 327-371. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2025.2525281

Bernardis, P., Grassi, M. and Pearson, D. G. (2025) 'Differential Eye Movements and Greater Pupil Size During Mental Scene Construction in Autobiographical Recall', Neuropsychologia, 109117. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109117

Buckland, S., Kaminskiy, E. and Bright, P. (2025) 'Redefining adjustment after acquired brain injury', Brain Injury, 39(3), pp. 221-232. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2024.2423760

Longhurst, P., Aspell, J. E., Todd, J. and Swami, V. (2025) 'Body appreciation mediates the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing in autistic adults', Body Image, 53, 101876. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101876

Mehling, W. E., Todd, J. and Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2025) 'Multidisciplinary assessment of interoceptive awareness, version 2 (MAIA-2)'. In: In: Medvedev, O. N., Krägeloh, C. U., Siegert, R. J., Singh, N. N. (Eds) (2025) Handbook of Assessment in Mindfulness Research. Cham: Springer, pp. 1509-1530. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47219-0_40

Pearson, D. G., Bernardis, P. and Bright, P. (2025) 'Neurocognitive processes in mental scene construction: Opening editorial', Cortex, 189, pp. 275-278. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2025.06.009

Pearson, D. G. (2025) 'Computable creativity: lessons learned from mental imagery research', Journal of Cognitive Psychology. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2025.2485203

Roberts, S. M., Bruce, R., Hope, T. M., Geva, S., Anderson, S., Woodgate, H., ... Price, C. J. (2025) 'The impact of pre-stroke formal education on language test performance in aphasic and non-aphasic stroke survivors', Aphasiology, 39(11), pp. 1480-1502. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2024.2434864

Wessel, I., Krans, J., Albers, C. J., Chauhan, N., Ferreira de Sá, D. S., Hauck, A., ... van Schie, K. (2025) 'Evidence that Tetris reduces immediate but not subsequent daily intrusions of a trauma film: A multilab replication study', Collabra: Psychology, 11(1), 130791. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.130791

Hill, D., Conner, M., Bristow, M. and O’Connor, D. B. (2023) 'Daily stress and eating behaviors in adolescents and young adults: Investigating the role of cortisol reactivity and eating styles', Psychoneuroendocrinology, 153, 106105. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106105

Vagnoni, E., Lewis, J., Tajadura-Jiménez, A. and Cardini, F. (2018) 'Listening to a conversation with aggressive content expands the interpersonal space', PLoS One, 13(3), e0192753. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192753