A double EEG measurement.

Research at Jyväskylä Brain & Mind

Brain research has a long history at the University of Jyväskylä. Our neuroscience is spearheaded by the study of learning and other cognitive functions, development, and physical activity.

Our Research

At Jyväskylä, neuroscience research brings together expertise across psychology, music science, health sciences, and sport and exercise biology. Our work focuses on understanding how the brain changes across development, aging, and learning, as well as identifying abnormal brain activity and evaluating the impact of different interventions. By integrating computational methods and advanced information technology, we drive innovative, multidisciplinary research that deepens our understanding of the brain and its role in human behavior.

JYU VR-EEG

Research themes

Our research focuses on body–brain interaction in behavior and societally relevant phenomena such as learning difficulties and music.

Key themes include:

development across the lifespan
learning and memory
health, well-being and physical activity

person wearing a wearable health technology — We provide equipment for comprehensive measurement of the nervous system.

Research groups

Active Mind Lab

In the Active Mind Lab, we study how the brain processes information; in particular, we study communication through speech and facial expressions. The name of our group reflects our aim to produce information that can help promote effective learning and t

ADAPT Lab

Advancing Developmental Adaptation and Plasticity Trajectories

Changing Brain

Investigating brain changes throughout the lifespan

FemInnovation - Female physiology, sports, and innovations

Do sex hormone profiles influence performance or training adaptations?

Learning and neural plasticity - From single neurons to behavior

We study the neural basis of learning and memory.

Neural processes and connectivity

We study how local and network-level neural mechanisms support behavior across different modalities.

Sensorimotor Systems Neuroscience

The brain | Proprioception | Motor control | Functional anatomy | Biomechanics | Motor impairment | Rehabilitation | Exercise | Neuroimaging | MEG | EEG | TMS | (f)MRI | DWI| EMG

Projects

ryhmäkuva

Brain-wide memory consolidation in sleep studied with simultaneous electrophysiology and ultra-quiet zero-echo time fMRI

Research Council of Finland research project 2023-2027

Commercialising Music-Enhanced Technologies for Sport & Health (COMETS)

COMETS complements scientific work on music, sport, and physical activity by translating research outcomes into actionable commercialisation and business strategies.

EarlyMath - Pathways to math difficulties: A longitudinal study from birth to school-age

The EarlyMath project (2021-2026) studies children’s early development of mathematical skills, motivation and emotions in interaction with learning environments. We want to understand better why the learning of basic mathematical skills is challenging for

Henkilöt pyöräilevät puistossa

Genetic and biological drivers of physical activity and exercise participation (GEDROPA)

Genetic background, biological mechanisms and commitment to physical activity and lifestyle interventions in different age groups

Leveraging state dependent viscera-brain coupling to identify novel treatment targets for mental health disorders

The brain continuously senses signals from within the body and the rhythms of the heart, lungs, and stomach have a large impact on brain signals and cognition. To which extent is the coupling between the brain and viscera dependent on different states (e.

Figure 1. Novel neuroimaging and brain stimulation methods used in the project.

Mapping function of hand proprioception in the human motor cortex (ProMap)

The brain | Proprioception | Functional anatomy | Somatosensory | Neuroimaging | (f)MRI | TMS | EEG | EMG

Motherhood in the spotlight: Promoting women's equality in sport (MAMA)

ERASMUS+ Project

Resolving the Ethical Paradoxes of Data-Informed Talent Identification in Junior Sports through Data Literacy (PARADOX)

The PARADOX project investigates and addresses the ethical challenges in data-informed talent identification processes in junior sports.

A participant is learning Mandarin Chinese tones through listening and repeating exercises with a Chinese tutor. The electrical brain responses of both the participant and the tutor are simultaneously recorded.

Social foreign language learning: behavioral and electrophysiological studies (SoFoLe)

The project tests the use of social interaction and bodily learning methods in the study of Chinese in Finnish-speaking adults.

TAG - Tango Across Generations: Movement, connection, and wellbeing

Tango Across Generations is an interdisciplinary research and community arts project that explores the potential of Argentine tango as a tool for enhancing social, emotional, and physical wellbeing across generations.

The Power of Music for Sport & Physical Activity (MPOWER)

Project MPOWER combines sports science, music science, health & human sciences, and computer science to elucidate relationships between music, sport, and physical activity.

ULearn - Understanding learning variability, support, and change

ULearn strengthens the position of JYU in learning research by utilizing and enhancing the synergies between EDUCA Flagship and InterLearn Centre of Excellence.