Zoom Colloquium: On the interaction between body movements and cognition

Cognitive processes are almost exclusively investigated in settings for which voluntary body movements are largely suppressed. However, even basic sensory processes can differ drastically between movement states. My special interest therefore lies in the naturally behaving system. We investigate the interaction between cognition, oscillatory brain activity and body movements in freely moving humans through the application of various mobile approaches. Within this scope we ask how walking influences attentional visual processes, auditory perception and creativity. Concerning smaller movements as well as the interaction between different types of movements, we focus on eye related movements, such as spontaneous eyeblinks, saccades and pupil size. Our work shows complementary neurophysiological and behavioral evidence of the importance of movement and movement state when considering simple as well as complex cognitive processes. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barbara-Haendel