Inspired by this research, Prof Beste became increasingly interested in the brain mechanisms that enable ‘action selection’ – the essential ability that allows individuals to select actions to perform in the moment. “I was really fascinated by this work, which stands very much in contrast to ‘research traditions’, that focus on the importance of the neocortex in these basic cognitive functions,” says Prof Beste. Motivated to read more about the anatomy and neurophysiology of the ‘basal ganglia’, part of the brain that has been found to be associated with HD and PD, Prof Beste came across theories by Prof Peter Redgrave and colleagues, identifying the basal ganglia as playing a central role for those processes required to decide between different options or different ways to act. We identified a number of ‘neurobiological bricks’ that are central for cognitive control mechanisms “I became frustrated by the very apparent oversight that diagnostic procedures were not orientated and constrained by the underlying pathoneurophysiology and changes in structural neuroanatomy of the different disease,” says Beste. Prof Beste explains: “I did both (basic research and practical clinical work), because I felt that both ‘sides’ are important to integrate and that each of these sides can ‘learn’ so much from each other by simply trying to incorporate the ‘other perspective’.”Īt the time, his work focused on the neuropsychological diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington Disease (HD), progressive diseases of the nervous system characterised by a variety of symptoms, including jerky body movements and cognitive impairments. As a student, he worked as an undergraduate research assistant in a Neurological department of the University Hospital (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) and at the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biopsychology (Ruhr-Universität Bochum). Throughout his career, Prof Beste has worked on investigating the neurobiological foundations of cognitive processes. Once these theories are developed, neuroscientific studies can then try to link them to actual biological processes occurring in the brain, which can help to develop effective treatments for particular cognitive impairments or shed light on the biological dynamics behind them. Cognitive psychology research is of particular importance as it aims to develop theories explaining the underpinnings of mental processes that occur in healthy individuals, as well as particular disturbances of these observed in those affected by particular medical or psychiatric disorders. In psychology, these are referred to as cognitive processes and include all mental processes involved in language use, attention, memory, perception, thinking, and problem solving. Basic science approaches are combined with clinical/applied science approaches to examine the relevance of fronto-striatal networks in action control.Ĭognitive psychology and its links to biologyįor many years, scientists have studied and tried to identify the mental mechanisms underlying human beings’ behaviour and actions. Conceptual approach to study action control processes. Research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience has been thoroughly investigating the mental processes involved in cognitive control, trying to identify the parts of the brain and neurobiological processes associated with them. The biological underpinnings of cognitive control, the mental function that allows individuals to multitask, perform goal-directed activities such as driving or preparing a meal, and develop strategies to cope when working on a number of things simultaneously, are not yet fully understood. His studies are based both on clinical and empirical observations, as he believes an integration of both might lead to more exhaustive results. Prof Christian Beste, working at University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, in Dresden, Germany, has carried out extensive research to try and understand the neural underpinnings of human goal-directed behaviour. The biological underpinnings of human mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge, processing information and understanding experiences, have been substantially investigated throughout the years.
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