Evaluation of neural and behavioral characteristics expressed in narratives in the clinical context of epilepsy

• Grant number: 24/18114-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Ésper Abrão Cavalheiro
• Grantee: Ana Teresa Ribeiro Contier
• Supervisor: Uri Hasson
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Princeton University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/01635-4 - Evaluation of neural and behavioral characteristics expressed in narratives in the clinical context of epilepsy, BP.PD

Abstract

The proposed 12-month internship at the Hasson Lab of the Department of Psychology and the Neuroscience Institute of Princeton University will significantly enhance the FAPESP-funded postdoctoral research being conducted at Unifesp by introducing innovative methods and techniques for studying neuroscience in naturalistic contexts. The main goal of the internship is to tap into Hasson Lab's research expertise in the investigation of the neural basis of narratives and brain-to-brain communication. Also of interest are Hasson Lab's work using narratives to create naturalistic stimuli and their studies on brain language processing and deep learning techniques. These approaches support the postdoctoral project objectives concerning Patient-Centered Care (PCC) practices as the internship will allow the development of research that prioritizes patients' needs and perspectives. Specifically, the research project aims to analyze illness narratives in epilepsy, assessing the cognitive and emotional dimensions of individuals living with the condition. The knowledge gained will contribute to advancing experimental approaches in cognition and communication within the context of epilepsy, which will be applied upon returning to Brazil.Keywords: narrative, cognitive neuroscience, epilepsy clinic, deep learning.