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Magda L Dumitru's picture

Magda L Dumitru

Guest Researcher
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology
github
googlescholar
researchgate
vimeo
  • E-mailmagda.dumitru@uib.no
  • Phone+47 55 58 62 19
  • Visitor Address
    Jonas Lies vei 91
    5009 Bergen
  • Postal Address
    Postboks 7807
    5020 Bergen

Magda L. Dumitru investigates brain coherence as relevant to language, visual and auditory perception, memory, and (virtual) distance estimation. She has developed the ‘distance index’ as a biomarker of the male and female brain prototype in psychopathology, and is currently investigating the potential of the index to reveal the (epi)genetic basis of creativity in both health and mental illness.

"Every day, our senses record an impressive amount of information, which generates biases for more effective processing. For example, we decode language better with the right ear. This is known as ‘right ear advantage’ (REA) and our team has found ways to increase REA and improve perception of fast visual stimuli. We’ve also shown that by changing the word ‘AND’ with ‘OR’, people manage to encode several memory episodes instead of one. More frequent chunking and re-combining information is a hallmark of creativity. Our team is exploring brain structure differences in creative individuals. We’ve found that the left and the right hemispheres are more coherent in women than in men, in both health and mental illness. A novel research direction is the emergence of creativity in patients with Parkinson’s, who suddenly get the ‘spark’ to produce fine art."

My research in ONE minute: https://vimeo.com/740356936

IGSIN 913 Integrated Neuroscience, module "The Neuroscience of Memory"

MAPSYK 319B Cognitive Neuroscience, emneansvarlig

MAPSYK 360 Master's Thesis in Psychology, supervisor

MAPSYK 319A/PROPSY 303 Biological Psychology, module "Emotions" I and II

PROPSY 304 Cognitive Neuroscience, modules "Perception", "Memory", "Attention and Cognitive Control"

PSYK 122 Practical Research Methods

Academic article
  • Show author(s) (2022). Male and Female Brain Coherence Models of Cognitive Performance andPsychopathology. bioRxiv.
  • Show author(s) (2021). Thought extramission: The eyes project conceptual maps at close distance. bioRxiv.
  • Show author(s) (2021). Combined fMRI region- and network-analysis reveal new insights of top-down modulation of bottom-up processes in auditory laterality. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 1-13.
  • Show author(s) (2018). Logical connectives modulate attention to simulations evoked by the constituents they link together. Frontiers in Psychology.
  • Show author(s) (2016). Gestalt-like representations hijack chunk-and-pass processing. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
  • Show author(s) (2016). Gestalt reasoning with conjunctions and disjunctions. PLOS ONE.
  • Show author(s) (2015). Similarity judgments of same-category object representations: Effects of physical size, manipulability, and word frequency. Visual Cognition. 855-859.
  • Show author(s) (2015). Coherence across consciousness levels: Symmetric visual displays spare working memory resources. Consciousness and Cognition. 139-149.
  • Show author(s) (2014). Or cues knowledge of alternatives: Evidence from priming. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 97-101.
  • Show author(s) (2014). Moving stimuli guide retrieval and (in) validation of coordination simulations. Cognitive Processing. 397-403.
  • Show author(s) (2014). Effects of word-evoked object size on covert numerosity estimations. Frontiers in Psychology.
  • Show author(s) (2013). Language-guided visual processing affects reasoning: The role of referential and spatial anchoring. Consciousness and Cognition. 562-571.
Lecture
  • Show author(s) (2016). Affect as well as object properties impact measurement estimations.
Academic lecture
  • Show author(s) (2020). The cerebellum works across task-positive and task-negative networks.
  • Show author(s) (2018). Covertly-induced emotional states modulate task performance.
  • Show author(s) (2017). Groundless altruism: Why it makes sense to risk one’s life for other people’s money.
  • Show author(s) (2017). An affective account of distance estimation biases. .
  • Show author(s) (2017). Action-based language Gestalts in working memory.
  • Show author(s) (2016). In the eye of the beholder: Affect as well as object properties impact measurement estimations.
  • Show author(s) (2016). Gestalt Reasoning: Perceptual compatibility effects evoked by coordination descriptions.
  • Show author(s) (2015). Similarity judgments of same-category object representations: Effects of physical size, manipulability, and word frequency.
  • Show author(s) (2010). Eye- movement patterns for logical connectives.
Editorial
  • Show author(s) (2016). Multisensory Integration: Brain, Body, and World. Frontiers in Psychology.
Poster
  • Show author(s) (2022). Brain Coherence Predicts Cognitive Performance and Neuropathology: Computing the Distance Index.
  • Show author(s) (2022). Amygdala Symmetry Predicts Distresful Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Patients.
  • Show author(s) (2021). Neurophysiology of Attention Lateralization Following Brief Meditation Training.
  • Show author(s) (2021). Meditation and Gender Affect the Attentional Blink: An ERP and Bayesian Learning Analysis.
  • Show author(s) (2018). Cortico-cerebellar pathways for understanding language coordination.
  • Show author(s) (2017). Laterality patterns for Gestalts of language. .
  • Show author(s) (2016). Speed of color recognition depends on Gestalt representations of cause, consequence, condition, and concession.
  • Show author(s) (2016). Shared ambiguity resolution strategies promote mutual fitness of language and perceptual systems.
  • Show author(s) (2016). Gestalt Reasoning Promotes Extension Errors.
  • Show author(s) (2011). Verb-induced simulations affect sampling patterns in choice contexts.

More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)

  1. Dumitru, M. L., Johnsen, E., Craven, A. R., Kroken, R. A., Løberg, E. M., Brunvoll-Sandøy, L., Lilleskare, L., & Hugdahl, K. Structural coherence of amygdala nuclei underlies distressful verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. (submitted).
  2. Dumitru, M. L., Korbmacher, M., & Bartsch, H. Male and Female Brain Coherence Models of Cognitive Performance andPsychopathology. (2022). bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.28.509939e
  3. Kazimierczak, K., Craven, A. R., Ersland, L., Specht, K., Dumitru, M. L., Sandoy, L. B., & Hugdahl, K. (2022). Combined fMRI Region- and Network-Analysis Reveal New Insights of Top-Down Modulation of Bottom-Up Processes in Auditory Laterality. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
  4. Dumitru, M. L., & Joergensen, G. H. Thought extramission: The eyes project conceptual maps at close distance. (2021). bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.18.456814
  5. Dumitru, M. L., & Pasqualotto, A. (2018). Helmets improve estimations of depth and visual angle to safe targets. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 80(8), 1879-1884. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-018-1605-9
  6. Dumitru, M. L., & Joergensen, G. H. (2018). Logical connectives modulate attention to simulations evoked by the constituents they link together. Frontiers in Psychology, 08/2018; 6. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01358
  7. Dumitru, M. L.(2016). Gestalt-like representations hijack chunk-and-pass processing. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X15000758
  8. Dumitru, M. L., & Joergensen, G.H. (2016). Gestalt reasoning with conjunctions and disjunctions. PLoS ONE 11(3): e0151774. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151774
  9. Pasqualotto, A., Dumitru, M. L., & Myachykov, A. (2016). Editorial: Multisensory Integration: Brain, Body, and World. Frontiers in Psychology, 6:2046. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02046
  10. Dumitru, M. L.(2015). Coherence across consciousness levels: Symmetric visual displays spare working memory resources. Consciousness and Cognition, 38, 139-149. DOI: 10.1016//j.concog.2015.10.007
  11. Dumitru, M. L., & Joergensen, G. H. (2015). Similarity judgments of same-category object representations: Effects of physical size, manipulability, and word frequency. Visual Cognition, 23 (7), 855-859. DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2015.1093242 
  12. Dumitru, M. L., & Joergensen, G. H. (2015). Effects of word-evoked object size on covert numerosity estimations. Frontiers in Psychology, 08/2015; 6. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00876
  13. Dumitru, M. L.(2014). Moving stimuli guide retrieval and (in) validation of coordination simulations. Cognitive Processing. 15 (3), 397-403. DOI: 10.1007/s10339-014- 0604-6
  14. Dumitru, M. L., & Taylor, A. J. (2014). Or cues knowledge of alternatives: Evidence from priming. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 55 (2), 97-101. DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12100
  15. Dumitru, M. L., Joergensen, G. H., Cruickshank, A. G., & Altmann, G. T. M. (2013). Language-guided visual processing affects reasoning: The role of referential and spatial anchoring. Consciousness and Cognition, 22 (2), 562-571. DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2013.03.008

60825 Hvordan hjernenettverk interagerer - betydning for forstaelse av horselshallusinasjoner 

60748 Hjernelateralisering av oppmerksomhetskontroll etter kort meditasjonstrening

60932 Hjernemekanismer for oppmerksomhetskontroll til auditive og visuelle stimuli

NSD 395393 Impact of Prediction Error on Social Appraisal

Fields of competence 
Bayesian inference
Biologisk psykologi
Brain Asymmetry
Brain Imaging
Cognitive neuroscience
EEG analysis
Memory
MR spectroscopy
Selective Attention

Research groups