19.04.2025 Ina Thome wins DGKN poster prize

Research into illusory letter perception helps understand mechanisms of expectation and cognitive biases.

Dr. Ina Thome and her team from the University of Marburg won the poster prize at this year's conference of the German Society for Clinical Neurophysiology and Functional Imaging (DGKN) for their research into the illusory perception of letters. The study was conducted as part of the SFB/TRR 393 "Trajectories of Affective Disorders: Cognitive-Emotional Mechanisms of Symptom Change" and investigates fundamental mechanisms of perception that are also relevant to mental illness.

The researchers showed that the brain processes letters in a similar way to faces - even if they are not actually present. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they demonstrated that the activation patterns in the letter illusion are very similar to those in the face illusion. These results provide new insights into the role of the prefrontal cortex in the interpretation of incomplete sensory information and show how expectations influence our perception. In the context of the CRC/TRR 393, these findings contribute to a better understanding of how cognitive biases and perceptual mechanisms play a role in affective disorders.

“Our research helps us to decipher fundamental principles of perception that may also be involved in psychiatric disorders,” explains Thome. The award at the DGKN conference recognizes the relevance and excellence of this work.