Current position:
Ph.D. student at DRCMR and Department of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Education:
MA and certified MSc in Psychology (cand.psych.aut)

Research groups:
Funtional activation/fMRI group
Development and plasticity group
Ageing and dementia group  

E-mail:
thomasr#drcmr.dk

Main research interest:
My Ph.D. project is focusing on the effects of healthy ageing on functional activation in the brain. I am particularly interested in the effects in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), and the functional changes that occur in memory, semantic processing and emotional responses. To this end I am using a comrehensive battery of both functional (fMRI and ASL) and structural (T1, T2, FLAIR and DTI) MR measurements combined with other behavioural and cognitive assessments. In order to measure fMRI activation in the MTL we have applied an optimized imaging sequence along with a comprehensive region of interest analysis approach. Based on animal models and patient studies we assume that MTL substructures play different role according to what content is being processed (objects or spatial localization) or processing stage (encoding, rehearsal or retrieval).

In the project on healthy ageing, we study the relative contributions of perfusion changes and atrophy on functional changes in the brain assessed by fMRI. We hypothesize that to some extent, perfusion changes has an impact on the BOLD response and, accordingly, on the outcome of studies using fMRI to assess the neural correlates of ageing. In this respect, some of the changes we expect to see in the BOLD fMRI signal may be attributable to perfusion changes instead of true neural changes.

Other research interest(s):
My other interests in cognitive neuroscience includes the processing from visual perception to memory; neuromarketing and neuroeconomy; neuroethics; and the scientific study of consciousness. Among ongoing projects are:

• Visual perception and memory in the medial temporal lobe
• Structural and functional changes in young MDMA (ecstasy) abusers
• Neuroeconomy and neuromarketing
• Brain maturation in 7-12 year old healthy subjects; individual differences and developmental trajectories
  

Selected publications:

Overgaard M, Rote J, Mouridsen K, Ramsøy TZ. Is conscious perception gradual or dichotomous? A comparison of report methodologies during a visual task. (PDF) Conscious Cogn. 2006 Dec;15(4):700-8.

Christensen MS, Ramsoy TZ, Lund TE, Madsen KH, Rowe JB. An fMRI study of the neural correlates of graded visual perception. (PDF) Neuroimage. 2006 Jul 15;31(4):1711-25.

Ramsøy, T.Z., Overgaard, M. (2004). Introspection and subliminal perception (PDF). Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 3, 1-23.

Baars, B.J., Ramsøy, T.Z., Laureys, S. (2003). Brain, conscious experience and the observing self. (PDF) Trends in Neuroscience, 26 (12), 671 – 675

Ramsøy, T.Z. (2002). Mental vs. Verbal content – the problem of reference. Comment on Overgaard. Psycholoquy 13 (008-2)

Curriculum vitae:

Education 

1993: Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration
1994: Examen Philosophicum, University of Oslo
1999: BA Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Psychological Dept., consisting of studies in Psychology at: University of Tromsø, Norway; NTNU University of Trondheim, Norway
2001 MA Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Psychological Dept. Copenhagen, DK
2005: Certified MSc in Psychology, cand.psych.aut. Copenhagen, DK
2003-07: Ph.d. student, MR-dept., Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre Hospital
Supported by Copenhagen University Focus area “Body and Mind”

 Work experience

1993-94: Market researcher, interviewer, Scan-Fact A/S
1994-95: Research assistant, University of Tromsø, Dept. of Psychology
1995-96: Assistant nurse, Psychiatric Dept., Bispebjerg Hospital
1996-97: Assistant nurse, coordinator, Trondheim Town, Strinda district
1997-2000: KAP Skovvænget, Psychiatric Dept., Copenhagen County
1999-2001: Research assistant, The Copenhagen Aphasia Study, Bispebjerg Hospital, Neurological Dept.
2001-02: Neuropsychologist (tenency), Hvidovre Hospital, Psychiatric Dept
2002-03: Neuropsychologist, The Lions Collegium (rehab. facility),
2003: Consultant Neuropsychologist, the Dementia Clinic, Odense University Hospital
2003-04: Junior Research Fellow, MR-dept., Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre Hospital

Training and know-how

MRI: structural MRI, functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, ASL
Imaging analysis: MatLab, SPM2, SPM5, MNI Register, MNI Display, MIPAV
Statistical software: SPSS, ViSta, R, MiniTab, SAS
Stimulus software: E-Prime, Presentation, PsychLAB
Neuropsych batteries: MSU 1-2, RH basis battery, PALPA, PICA, WAB 1+2, MMPI-2

Other activities

Science & Consciousness Review — Managing editor
BrainEthics blog — coeditor
SCR Newsletter, Mind & Brain, Bevidsthed — moderator
Nordic Network for Consciousness Studies — administrator

See also personal blog