Dr. Timo Torsten Schmidt

Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit

Researcher

Address

Habelschwerdter Allee 45
Room JK 25/222d
14195 Berlin

Telephone

+49 030 838 64975

titoschmi(at)zedat.fu-berlin.de

Coordination of the Master Program Cognitive Neuroscience

Websites and OSA
Admission officer
Teaching coordination
Credit Transfer
Public Relations, Advertisement, Social Media
Alumni network
Advisory service

Current responsibilities in academic self-governance and science management

Member of examination board Master Social- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) and Master Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (MCNB)
Member of Institutional Review Board (IRB [German: Ethikkommission]) of the Department for Psychology and Education
Member of Working group Anreizmittel

Responsibilities at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (CCNB):

Organizer of the CCNB Seminar Series
Social Media
Support of fMRI and EEG studies
Support of experiments with tactile stimuli

Other academic services

Coordinator of a monthly meeting of coordinators of international MSc programs at Freien Universität Berlin
Support of networking of researchers

Certified education

2023: Certifikate for Scientific Coordinators
2022: Certifikate for Science Management
2016: Certifikate for Didactics in Higher Education

Outreach / Science Communication

Coordination of yearly contributions to "Lange Nacht der Wissenschaft" (long night of science)
Children University, School visits etc.

Profile

Cognitive Science and Neuroscience
Research Focus: Working Memory, Consciousness, Neuroimaging

In my neuroscientific research, I work on elucidating the neural mechanisms of consciousness functions. I use neuroimaging, behavioral studies, citizen science and meta-analyses. In particular, I work on “mental representations” as they are formed during the performance of working memory tasks or mental imagery. I also research the changes in neural processing while experiencing altered states of consciousness. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms of hallucinations, including the situation in which an internally generated mental image is confused with a sensory perceptionBeruflicher Werdegang

Employment

Seit 04/2022: Researcher (permanent position), Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin
Seit 04/2018: Researcher (PostDoc), Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin
2015-2018: PreDoc, Working group cognitive psychology, Institutr of Cognitive Science, Universtät Osnabrück
2012-2015: PhD student, Graduate school: Sensory Computation in Neural Systems, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin
2011-2012: Guest researcher (PreDoc), Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin

Education

2018: Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude) Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
2011: MSc. Medical Neuroscience, International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charitè Universitätsmedizin Berlin
2009: BSc. Cognitive Science (with distinction) Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück

Exteral Profiles / Links

Awards

2021: Teaching Award of the Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
2017: Teaching award of the Institute of Cognitive Science for the best teaching evaluations, Universität Osnabrück
2015: Teaching award of the Institute of Cognitive Science for excellent teaching evaluations, Universität Osnabrück

List of Courses at Freie Universität Berlin

Term	Titel	Format	Study program	Language
WS 2023	Neurocognitive Methods and Data analysis I	Lecture	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2023	Cognitive Neuroscience: Memory, Emotion, Language and Consciousness	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2023	Cognitive Neuroscience: Research Practice	Practical session	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2023	Information Processing and Consciousness II	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2023	Neurocognitive Methods and Data analysis II	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2023	Research colloquium for MSc thesis support: Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit	Colloquium	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2022	Information Processing and Consciousness I	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2022	Neurocognitive Methods and Data analysis I	Lecture	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2022	Research Workshop (50% mit Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg)	Methods Practical	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2022	Neurocognitive Methods and Data analysis II	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2022	Information Processing and Consciousness II	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2021	Research Workshop (50% mit Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg)	Methods Practical	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2021	X-Student Research Group: Print your Brain	Study-project	Berlin University Alliance	E
WS 2021	Neuroscientific Research Life: From Science culture to Good Scientific Practice	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2021	Information Processing and Consciousness I	Seminar	MSc Cognitive Neuroscience Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2021	X-Student Research Group: Print your Brain	Study-project	Berlin University Alliance	E
SS 2021	Introduction to Programming (50% mit Prof. Arthur Jacobs)	Seminar	MSc Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2021	Cognitive Neuroscience BII	Seminar (online)	MSc SCAN Freie Universität Berlin	E
WS 2020	Cognitive Neuroscience BI	Seminar (online)	MSc SCAN Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2020	Cognitive Neuroscience BII	Seminar	MSc SCAN Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2020	Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT	Practical	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
WS 2019	Bewusstsein: Experimentelle Untersuchung und Neuronale Korrelate	Seminar	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
WS 2019	Cognitive Neuroscience BI	Seminar	MSc SCAN Freie Universität Berlin	E
SS 2019	Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT	Practical	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
WS 2018	Experimentalpraktikum Propädeutikum	Seminar	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
WS 2018	Forschungsmethoden (3x)	Seminar	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
SS 2018	Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT	Practical	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
SS 2015	Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT	Practical	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
WS 2014	Experimentalpraktikum Propädeutikum	Seminar	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D
SS 2014	Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT (50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)	Practical	BSc Psychologie Freie Universität Berlin	D

I have also been teaching in the following programs:

BSc/MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück
MSc Medical Neuroscience, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
BSc Psychologie, Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität Berlin

Supervision

It is possible to conduct Bachelor and Master theses under my supervision. I feel qualified to supervise work on topics from the research areas of:

Working memory & mental imagery
Altered states of consciousness
Phenomenology of drug experiences.

Methodologically I work with: fMRI, specifically task-based univariate and multivariate (MVPA) analysis methods, functional (PPI) and effective (DCM) connectivity approaches, as well as resting-state fMRI; EEG; online surveys; questionnaires on altered states of consciousness experiences; databases (e.g. the altered states database).

If you are interested in a Bachelor or Master thesis, please contact me via E-Mail. A decision to accept a supervision will depend on the fit of the suggested topic to my expertise, as well as on the resources of the Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit.

It is very much welcome if you suggest a topic for a BSc and MSc, while it is also possible to ask for current projects/topics which would be suitable for thesis work.

Bachelor Theses

(2023) Systematic Literature Review on Subjective Experiences of Altered States of Consciousness: An Update of the Altered States Database, University of Osnabrück, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) The effects of stimulants on creativity, BSc Psychologie, FU Berlin, Secondary Supervisor.

(2022) An empirical investigation of the subjective experience induced by Flicker Light Stimulation at varying frequencies and rhythmicities, BSc Psychologie, Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität Berlin, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) Integration in der Substanz-unterstützten Therapie, BSc Psychologie, FU Berlin, Primary Supervisior.

(2022) Neurosexism – a feminist critique on brain sex/gender difference research, BSc Psychologie, FU Berlin, Secondary Supervisior.

(2021) Evidence for the improvement of memory performance by the Loci method: A literature Overview. BSc Psychologie, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2021) Imagining touch – An fMRI-data analysis on tactile stimulation and its imagery. BSc Psychologie, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2021) Effects of load and rehearsal of tactile working memory: An fMRI study. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2020) The scientific study of “Immersive Cyberdelics”. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2020) Differences and similarities of psychotic symptoms and pharmacologically induced states. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2020) The Afterglow phenomenon – Subacute effects of serotonergic psychedelics. A systematic literature analysis. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2019) Numerosity Processing in the Human Brain: Behavioral Characterization in the Context of an fMRI Working Memory Study. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2019) A validation study of a novel German questionnaire for the characterization of pharmacologically induced challenging experiences. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2019) A behavioral study on the psychometric characterization of subjective experiences during flicker-induced visual hallucinations. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2019) The standardized qualification of retrospective, subjective experiences of hypnosis and the potential for treating anxiety and enhancing the quality of life in cancer patients. BSc Psychology, FU Berlin, Primary Supervision.

(2018) Persisting After-Effects of Psychoactive Substance Use. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2018) Influence of Surveillance on a visual delayed match-to-sample memory task. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Secondary Supervision.

(2018) A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on the processing of spatial stimulus information in the tactile and visual modality, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2018) Developing a Predictive Coding Taxonomy for Alterations of Consciousness. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2018) A study on the modulation of multimodal integration failures in the Ganzfeld Experiences by the variation of auditory stimulation. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2017) Neural mechanisms of Cannabis and its long-term impairment of the nervous system. BSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Secondary Supervision.

Master Theses

(2024) How long exactly is “Here & Now”? Examining the Temporal Depth of Focused Attention Meditative State, FU Berlin, Secondary Supervisor.

(2024) Systematic Comparison of Pre-trained Vision Transformer in Brain-Phenotype Prediction, FU Berlin, Secondary Supervisor.

(2023) The Impact of Phenomenological Control ond Altered States, Mystical Experience, Mood and Persisting Effects, Macquarie University Australia, Second Thesis Reviewer.

(2023) The Effects of tDCS over left PCC on tactile Working Memory, FU Berlin, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) The effects of memory load and rehearsal rate on tactile working memory: An fMRI study, MSc Social- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, FU Berlin, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) Systematic literature review and meta-analysis: Dose-response relationships of LSD-induced subjective experiences in humans, MSc Medical Neuroscience, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) Investigating thalamo-cortical connectivity in different altered states of consciousness. MSc Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Amsterdam, Primary Supervisor.

(2022) Neural correlates of tactile long-term memory – an fMRI study, MSc Social- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, FU Berlin, Primary Supervisor.

(2019) Neuronal Representation of Visual Numerosity during Working Memory – Using MVPA in an fMRI study. MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2019) Tactile rehearsal – and EEG study. MSc Mind and Brain, Mind and Brain School Berlin, Co-Supervision.

(2018) Embodied emotional perception: The interaction between negative emotion and the self-relevance of body parts investigated with virtual reality and fMRI. MSc Social- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, FU Berlin, Secondary Supervision.

(2018) A validation study of a novel German scale to measure changes in self-perception. MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2017) An EEG Study on Multi-Modal Integration Failures during the Ganzfeld-Experience. MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Primary Supervision.

(2016) The Ganzfeld Experience: Characterizing Multimodal Integration Failure using Resting State fMRI and Psychometric Measures. MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück. Primary Supervision

(2016) Meta-Analysis of resting-state fMRI: The Feasibility of Establishing Valid Links Between Phenomenology and Resting-State Connectivity Data. MSc Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück. Primary Supervision

(2016) Dynamic integration of early sensory areas supports perceptual awareness: An fMRI study on somatosensory target detection. MSc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Maastricht University. Co-supervision

(2015) Neuronal representation of vibrotactile working memory content. MSc Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, FU Berlin, Second Supervision.

(2015) The Neuronal Representations Underlying Maintained and Mentally Manipulated Tactile Stimuli. MSc Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, FU Berlin, Second Supervision.

Also see: Google Scholar Profil

2024
	Montgomery C, Amaya IA, Schmidt TT (2024) Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: A comparison study to the effects of psychedelics. Front. Psychol. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1325499
2023
	Grundei M, Schmidt TT*, Blankenburg F (2023) A multimodal cortical network of sensory expectation violation revealed by fMRI.* Human Brain Mapping 44 (17), 5871-5891. doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26482
	Amaya IA, Schmidt ME, Bartossek MT, Kemmerer J, Kirilina E, Nierhaus T, Schmidt TT (2023) Flicker light stimulation induces thalamocortical hyperconnectivity with LGN and higher-order thalamic nuclei. Imaging Neuroscience 1, 1-20. doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00033
	Evens R, Schmidt ME, Majic T, Schmidt TT** (2023) The psychedelic afterglow phenomenon: A systematic review of subacute effects of classical psychedelics. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 13 doi.org/10.1177/20451253231172254
	Amaya IA, Behrens N, Schwartzman DJ, Hewitt T, Schmidt TT (2023) Effect of frequency and rhythmicity on flicker—induced hallucinatory phenomena. PLoS One 18(4):e0284271.
	Hirschfeld T, Prugger J, Majic T, Schmidt TT (2023) Dose-response relationships of LSD-induced subjective experiences in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-10
	Nierhaus T, Wesolek S, Pack D, Witt CM, Blankenburg F, Schmidt TT** (2023) Content representation of tactile mental imagery in primary somatosensory cortex. eNeuro.
2022
	Prugger J, Derkiyok E, Dinkelacker J, Costines C, Schmidt TT (2022) The Altered States Database: Psychometric Data from a Systematic Literature Research. Scientific Data 9(1):720
	Wozniak M, Schmidt TT, Wu Y, Blankenburg F, Hohwy J (2022) Differences in working memory coding of biological motion attributed to oneself and others. Human Brain Mapping 43 (12): 3721-34.
	Fourcade A, Schmidt TT, Nierhaus T, Blankenburg F (2022) Enhanced processing of aversive stimuli on embodied artificial limbs by the human amygdala. Scientific Reports 12 (1): 1-11.
	Dworatzyk K, Jansen T, Schmidt TT (2022) Phenomenological assessment of psychedelic induced experiences: Translation and validation of the German Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI). Plos One 17 (3): e0264927
2021
	Bartossek MT, Kemmerer J, Schmidt TT (2021) Altered states phenomena induced by visual flicker light stimulation. Plos One 16 (7): e0253779
	Pennock IML, Schmidt TT,** Zorbek D, Blankenburg F (2021) Representation of visual numerosity information during working memory in humans: An fMRI decoding study. Human Brain Mapping, 42(9): 2778-89
	Majić T, Sauter M, Bermpohl F, Schmidt TT (2021) Connected to the spirit of the frog: An internet-based survey on the subjective effects of Kambo, the secretion from phyllomedusa bicolor. Journal of Psychopharmacology 35(4): 421-436
	Hirschfeld T, Schmidt TT (2021) Dose-response relationships of psilocybin-induced subjective experiences in humans. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 35(4): 384-397.
2020
	Schmidt TT, Reiche S, Hage CLC, Bermpohl F, Majić T (2020) Acute and subacute psychoactive effects of Kambo, the secretion of the Amazonian Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor): retrospective reports. Scientific Reports 10: 21544.
	Schmidt TT, Jagannathan N, Ljubljanac M, Xavier A, Nierhaus T (2020) The multimodal Ganzfeld-induced altered state of consciousness induces decreased thalamo-cortical coupling. Scientific Reports 10:18686.
	Schmidt TT, Schröder P, Reinhardt P, Blankenburg F (2020): Rehearsal of tactile working memory: Premotor cortex recruits two dissociable neural content representations. Human Brain Mapping. 42(1): 245-258
	Velenosi LA, Wu YH, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2020) Intraparietal sulcus maintains working memory representations of somatosensory categories in an adaptive, context-dependent manner. NeuroImage, 221: 11746
	Uluc I, Velenosi LA, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2020) Parametric representation of tactile numerosity stimuli in working memory. eNeuro, ENEURO.0090-19.2019
2019
	Schröder P, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2019) Neural basis of somatosensory target detection independent of uncertainty, relevance, and reports. Elife 8 pii: e43410.
	Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2019): The somatotopy of tactile mental imagery. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 13: 10.
	Schmidt TT, McCormick Miller N, Blankenburg F, Pulvermüller F (2019) Neural correlates of label facilitated tactile perception. Scientific Reports. 9(1): 1606.
	Schmidt TT, Prein JC (2019) The Ganzfeld experiences - A stably inducible altered state of consciousness: Effects of different auditory homogenizations. PsyCh 8(1): 66-81.
2018
	Uluc I, Schmidt TT, Wu YH, Blankenburg F (2018) Content-specific codes of parametric auditory working memory in humans. NeuroImage. 183: 254-262.
	Schmidt TT, Berkemeyer H (2018) The Altered States Database: Psychometric data on altered states of consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology. 9: 1028.
	Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2018) Brain regions that retain the spatial layout of tactile stimuli during working memory – A ‘tactospatial sketchpad’? NeuroImage 178: 531-539.
2017
	McCormick Miller N, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F, Pulvermüller F (2017) Verbal labels facilitate tactile perception. Cognition 171: 172-179.
	Wu, YH, Uluc I, Schmidt TT, Tertel K, Kirilina E, Blankenburg F (2017): Overlapping frontoparietal networks for tactile and visual parametric working memory representations. NeuroImage 166: 325-334.
	Schmidt TT, Wu YH, Blankenburg F (2017): Content-specific codes of parametric vibrotactile working memory in humans. Journal of Neuroscience 37(40):9771-9777.
	Majić T, Jungaberle H, Schmidt TT, Zeuch A, Hermle L, Gallinat J (2017): Psychotherapie mit adjuvanter Gabe von serotonergen psychoaktiven Substanzen – Möglichkeiten und Hindernisse / Psychotherapy with an adjuvant use of serotonergic psychoactive substances – possibilities and challenges. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 85(07):383-392.
2016
	Stuke H, Gutwinski S, Wiers C, Schmidt TT, Gröpper S, Parnack J, Gawron C, Hindi Attar C, Spengler S, Walter H, Heinz A, Bermpohl F (2016): To drink or not to drink: Harmful drinking is associated with hyperactivation of reward areas rather than hypoactivation of control areas in men. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience 41(3): E24-36.
2015
	Majić T, Schmidt TT, Gallinat J (2015): Peak experiences and the after-glow phenomenon: When and how do therapeutic effects of hallucinogens depend on psychedelic experiences? Journal of Psychopharmacology (3): 1-13
2014
	Schmidt TT, Ostwald D, Blankenburg F (2014): Imaging tactile imagery: Changes in brain connectivity support perceptual grounding of mental images in primary sensory cortices. NeuroImage 98: 216-224
2013
	Rea E, Rummel J, Schmidt TT, Hadar R, Heinz A, Mathe AA, Winter C (2013): Anti-anhedonic effect of deep brain stimulation of the prefrontal cortex and the dopaminergic reward system in a genetic rat model of depression: An intracranial self-stimulation paradigm study. Brain Stimulation 7(1): 21-28
	Spitzer B, Gloel M, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2013): Working memory coding of analog stimulus properties in the human prefrontal cortex. Cerebral Cortex, 24(8): 2229-2236
2012
	Schmidt TT, Rea E, Klein J, Panagis G, Winter C (2012): Enhanced reward-facilitating effects of d-amphetamine in rats in the quinpirole model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol, 16(5): 1083-91
	Klein J, Hadar R, Männer A, Eberhardt C, Baldassarri J, Schmidt TT, Kupsch A, Heinz A, Morgenstern R, Schneider M, Weiner I, Winter C (2012) Mapping brain regions in which deep brain stimulation affects schizophrenia-like behavior in two rat models of schizophrenia. Brain Stimulation, 6(4): 490-499
	Ostwald D, Spitzer B, Guggenmos M, Schmidt TT, Kiebel S, Blankenburg F (2012) Evidence for neural encoding of Bayesian surprise in human somatosensation. NeuroImage, 62(1): 177-88