My research focuses on methodological developments in fMRI, which I use to study and characterize the somatosensory system and hemodynamic responses.
I employ classical methods, such as MVPA, in projects involving complex somatosensory stimulation (e.g., acupuncture) and mental imagery. Through these projects, I aim to improve our understanding of the neuronal processes underlying somatosensory perception and tactile mental imagery.
Furthermore, I am interested in the temporal dynamics of the BOLD signal following activation because these dynamics could inform fMRI data analysis and therefore our understanding of neural processes. In order to achieve this, I use methods that considerably enhance the temporal resolution of fMRI. I develop and integrate methods to analyze this data, with a particular focus on spatiotemporal hemodynamics, which is the primary focus of my doctoral studies.

Caccialupi, G., Schmidt, T. T., Nierhaus, T., Wesolek, S., Esmeyer, M., & Blankenburg, F. (2025). Decoding Parametric Grip-Force Anticipation From fMRI Data. Human Brain Mapping 46(3), e70154. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70154

Nierhaus, T., Wesolek, S., Pach, D., Witt, C.M., Blankenburg, F., & Schmidt, T. T. (2023). Content representation of tactile mental imagery in primary somatosensory cortex. eNeuro 10(6). https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0408-22.2023