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Dr. Timo Torsten Schmidt

TimoTSchmidt_2021

Arbeitsbereich Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging

Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter

Adresse
Habelschwerdter Allee 45
Raum JK25/222d
14195 Berlin
Telefon
+49 30 838 64975
E-Mail
titoschmi(at)zedat.fu-berlin.de

Sprechstunde

Sprechzeiten nach E-Mail Absprache (Consultation times by arrangement via e-mail)

Tätigkeiten / Funktionen / Mitarbeit:

Kommissionsarbeit

  • Koordination des SCAN und MCNB Masterprograms 
  • Mitglied im Prüfungsausschuss Master Social- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) 
  • Mitglied im Prüfungsausschuss Master Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (MCNB)
  • Mitglied der Gemeinsamen Kommission Master Data Science

Mitarbeit am Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (CCNB)

Kurzprofil

  • Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaftler
  • Forschungsschwerpunkte: Arbeitsgedächtnis, Bewusstseinsprozesse, Neuroimaging

Beruflicher Werdegang

  • Seit 04/2018: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (PostDoc), Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg, Freie Universität Berlin
  • 2015-2018: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (PreDoc), Arbeitsgruppe Kognitionspsychologie, Dr. Axel Kohler, Dr. Uwe Friese, Institut für Kognitionswissenschaft, Universtät Osnabrück
  • 2012-2015: Promotionsstipendiat, Graduiertenschule Sensory Computation in Neural Systems, Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin
  • 2011-2012: Gastwissenschaftler (PreDoc), Center for Adaptive Rationality, Dr. Ralph Hertwig, Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin

Akademische Ausbildung

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

Externe Profile/Links

Currently (summer term 2021), I am leading the X-Student Research Group "Pring your Brain" supported by the Berlin University Alliance. Corresponding News:

List of courses given at the Freie Universität

Semester

Titel

Format

Studiengang

Sprache

SWS* | TN#

SS 2021

Introduction to Programming

(50% mit Prof. Arthur Jacobs)

Seminar

MSc Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN)

Freie Universität Berlin

E

2 | 30

SS 2021

Cognitive Neuroscience BII

Vorlesung

(online)

MSc SCAN

Freie Universität Berlin

E

2 | 30

WS 2020

Cognitive Neuroscience BI

Vorlesung

(online)

MSc SCAN

Freie Universität Berlin

E

2 | 30

SS 2020

Cognitive Neuroscience BII

 

Seminar

MSc SCAN

Freie Universität Berlin

E

2 | 20

SS 2020

Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Praktikum

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

4 | 20

WS 2019

Bewusstsein: Experimentelle Untersuchung und Neuronale Korrelate

Seminar

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

2 | 15

WS 2019

Cognitive Neuroscience BI

Seminar

MSc SCAN

Freie Universität Berlin

E

2 | 20

SS 2019

Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Praktikum

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

4 | 20

WS 2018

Experimentalpraktikum Propädeutikum

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Seminar

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

2 | 30

WS 2018

Forschungsmethoden

Seminar

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

1 | 3x20

SS 2018

Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Praktikum

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

4 | 20

before 2018

          

SS 2015

Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Praktikum

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

4 | 20
           

WS 2014

Experimentalpraktikum Propädeutikum

Seminar

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

2 | 30

SS 2014

Experimentalpraktikum mit fMRT

(50% mit Prof. Felix Blankenburg)

Praktikum

BSc Psychologie

Freie Universität Berlin

D

4 | 20
           
           

D: Deutsch, E: Englisch; *Lehrumfang von Blockseminaren umgerechnet auf SWS, #Teilnehmerzahlen sind circa Angaben

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 feel free to contact me via E-Mail. A decision to accept a supervision will depend on the fit of the suggested topic and my expertise, as well as on the resources of the Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit.

It is very 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. 

Examples of Bachelor Theses 

2021

  • Imagining Touch - An fMRI-Data Analysis On Tactile Stimulation And Its Imagery
  • Evidenz für die Verbesserung von Gedächtnisleistung durch die Loci-Methode: Eine Literaturübersicht
  • Effects of load and rehearsal rate of tactile working memory: An fMRI study

2020

  • The scientifc study of "Immersive Cyberdelics"
  • Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten von Symptomen einer Psychose und substanzinduzierten Zuständen
  • The afterglow phenomenon - Subacute effects of serotonergic psychedelics: A systematic literature analysis

2019

  • A validation study of a novel German questionnaire for the characterization of pharmacologically induced challenging experiences
  • A behavioral study on the psychometric characterization of subjective experiences during flicker-induced visual hallucinations
  • The standardized qualification of retrospective, subjective experiences of hypnosis and the potentials for treating anxiety and enhancing the quality of life in cancer patients
  • Numerosity processing in the human brain: Behavioral characterization in the context of an fMRI working memory study
  • Persisting after-effects of psychoactive substance use: A textcorpora analysis

2018

  • A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on the processing of spatial stimulus information in the tactile and visual modality
  • Developing a Predictive Coding Taxonomy for Alterations of Consciousness
  • A study on the modulation of multimodal integration failures in the Ganzfeld experience by the variation of auditory stimulation

 2017

  • A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on the processing of spatial stimulus information in the tactile and visual modality

Examples of Master Theses

2019

  • Neuronal Representation of Visual Numerosity during working memory - Using MVPA

2018

  • A validation study of a novel german scale to measure changes in self-perception
  • Embodied emotional perception: The interaction between negative emotion and the self-relevance of body parts investigated with virtual reality and fMRI
  • An EEG study on Multi-modal integration failures during the Ganzfeld-Experience

2017 

  • The Ganzfeld experiences: Characterizing multimodal integration failure using resting state fMRI and psychometric measures
  • Meta-analysis of resting-state fMRI: The feasability of establishing valid links between phenomenology and resting-state connectivity data

 2016     

  • Dynamic integration of early sensory areas supports perceptual awareness: An fMRI study on somatosensory target detection

 2015     

  • Neuronal representation of vibrotactile working memory content
  • The neuronal representation underlying maintained and mentally manipulated tactile stimuli

I am a neuroscientist interested in the neuronal underpinnings of human consciousness. I work with methods from the field of computational cognitive neuroscience with a focus on functional neuroimaging.

In my research I focus on :
(1) the mental representation of consciousness content (working memory and mental imagery)
(2) mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness

Also see: Google Scholar Profile

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

2021

27.

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.

26.

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

25.

Hirschfeld T, Schmidt TT (2021) How it feels to be on Psilocybin: Dose-response relationships of phenomenological states in humans. Journal of Psychopharmacology.

2020

24.

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.

23.

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.

22.

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.

21.

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.

20.

Uluc I, Velenosi LA, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2020) Parametric representation of tactile numerosity stimuli in working memory. eNeuro 9.January 2020

2019

19.

Schröder P, Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2019) Neural basis of somatosensory target detection independent of uncertainty, relevance, and reports. Elife 8 pii: e43410.

18.

Schmidt TT, Blankenburg F (2019): The somatotopy of tactile mental imagery. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 13:10.

17.

Schmidt TT*, McCormick Miller N*, Blankenburg F, Pulvermüller F (2019) Neural correlates of label facilitated tactile perception. Scientific Reports. 9(1):1606.

16.

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

15.

Uluc I, Schmidt TT, Wu YH, Blankenburg F (2018) Content-specific codes of parametric auditory working memory in humans. NeuroImage. 183:254-262.

14.

Schmidt TT, Berkemeyer H (2018) The Altered States Database: Psychometric data on altered states of consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology. 9:1028.

13.

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

12.

McCormick Miller N*, Schmidt TT*, Blankenburg F, Pulvermüller F (2017) Verbal labels facilitate tactile perception. Cognition 171:172-179.

11.

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.

10.

Schmidt TT, Wu YH, Blankenburg F (2017): Content-specific codes of parametric vibrotactile working memory in humans. Journal of Neuroscience 37(40):9771-9777.

9.

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

8.

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

7.

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

6.

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

5.

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

4.

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

3.

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

2.

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

1.

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

Book Chapters

2.   Schmidt TT, Majić T (2016): Empirische Untersuchung veränderter Bewusstseinszustände: Definition, Quantifizierung und Forschungsperspektiven. Handbuch Psychoaktiver Substanzen, Springer Verlag

1.   Majić T, Schmidt TT, Hermle L (2016): Flashbacks und anhaltende Wahrnehmungsstörungen nach Einnahme von serotonergen Halluzinogenen. Handbuch Psychoaktiver Substanzen, Springer Verlag

Theses

PhD-Thesis (2018): Tactile Mental Representations. Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

MSc-Thesis (2011): Intracranial Self-Stimulation in Different Rat Models of Dopaminergic Dysregulation.

Laboratory for Experimental Psychiatry (Prof. Dr. Winter), Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany

BSc-Thesis (2009): Marker protein expression patterns during retinoic acid-induced differentiation of NTera2 cells and effects of different culturing techniques. Department of Neurobiology (Prof. Dr. Brandt), University of Osnabrück, Germany

Open Data

In Zusammenarbeit mit Cognitive Science MSc Studierenden, und durch eine Open Science Förderung von Wikimedia konnte ich ein elementares Datenbank-Projekt realisieren. Die Altered States Database enthält psychometrische Daten (extrahiert aus MEDLINE-gelisteten Journalen) über das Erleben von veränderten Bewusstseinszuständen, die durch diverse Induktionsmethoden (z. B. Yoga, Meditation, LSD, Cannabis etc.) hervorgerufen wurden (N=315 Datensätze; N=2168 Datenpunkte; N=52 Induktionsmethoden).

Website: www.asdb.info (Traffic: >125.000 visitors, >325.000 visits)

Daten verfügbar auf OSF: Schmidt TT (2017), https://osf.io/8mbru/, doi 10.17605/OSF.IO/8MBRU