Niels Birbaumer

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Niels Birbaumer at a guest lecture in the old auditorium of the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Niels-Peter Birbaumer (born May 11, 1945 in Ottau , Czechoslovakia ) is an Austrian psychologist and neuroscientist .

Life

Birbaumer grew up in Vienna with his parents with four siblings. As a teenager he was the leader of a youth gang that broke into cars and stole radios, among other things. He was once put into juvenile detention for assault. His father threatened him with an upholstery apprenticeship and let him work in a workshop on a trial basis. Then he switched to another high school. Birbaumer studied psychology and neurophysiology at the University of Vienna from 1963 and was expelled from the university for political agitation at the age of 23 after completing his doctorate on electroencephalography in the blind-born . He then lived temporarily in London.

After a job at the University of Munich , he became a professor at the University of Tübingen in 1975 . In 1993 he moved from the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences to the Medical Faculty, where he headed the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology and the Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG) until his retirement in 2013 . He then continued his work in Tübingen as a senior professor . Birbaumer also held numerous visiting professorships abroad. From 2016 to the end of 2019 he was also a Senior Research Fellow at the Wyss Center of Bio- and Neuroengineering in Geneva .

Niels Birbaumer is the father of two children.

research

Birbaumer's research interests are broad: Among other things, he deals with neuronal plasticity and learning, with aspects of epilepsy , Parkinson's disease and pain disorders . With criminal psychopaths he trains how they can develop empathy and fears about the consequences of their actions by activating certain areas of the brain. His argument: "Even psychopaths can learn to feel something, fear, for example, of being downright creepy." And it does not matter whether the disorder has a genetic cause or was triggered by an extreme early youth experience. Birbaumer emphasizes that many psychopaths stand out in their childhood for attention disorders , which should therefore be treated early. With regard to their therapy, he advocates neurofeedback , with which the patients learn to control the activities in their frontal lobe and in this way to increase attention and concentration. The brain waves are analyzed by a computer, which breaks them down according to frequency components and displays them graphically on a computer screen so that the young patient can play with them and thereby influence his brain functions. He has also presented numerous magazine and book publications on neurofeedback in epilepsy.

One focus of Birbaumers work is the research on brain-computer interfaces ( Brain-Computer Interfaces BCI), which should make it possible without use of limbs information between the brain and machines replaced. This research is intended to enable patients with terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to communicate with their environment despite complete physical paralysis. In Birbaumer's opinion, this would enable them to achieve a much higher quality of life than doctors and relatives would attest to them. He and his colleagues achieved a breakthrough with the development of a BCI that enables paralyzed (" locked-in ") patients to communicate in writing using EEG signals.

fNIRS controversy

With this EEG-based technology, however, it was not possible to communicate with completely paralyzed patients, whose eye movements also no longer work and who are referred to as completely locked-in (CLIS). With the help of a further developed BCI in the form of a hood that uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) instead of the EEG to measure brain activity, Birbaumer and colleagues experimented with four CLIS patients until 2017. The results suggested that fNIRS could achieve a 70% success rate for yes-or-no questions. In a further study, however, methodological errors were found, which is why the significance of this statement is not tenable, i.e. the success rate does not differ from chance hits. Birbaumer's study has meanwhile been questioned overall by some colleagues, but also defended by others. The controversy was also taken up in an in-depth research by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Birbaumer and his co-authors stand by their results. A Canadian research group achieved a successful online classification of yes and no answers using fNIRS in healthy test persons in February 2019, which at least proved the technical feasibility of this approach in principle.

Violation of good scientific practice

From April 8 to June 6, 2019, several press organs reported that there was a suspicion of scientific misconduct in connection with a publication from 2017. An investigative commission set up by the University of Tübingen, from which the only representative of the neurosciences had withdrawn, then submitted a report in June 2019 in which the allegation of a violation of good scientific practice was confirmed (selective data evaluation, lack of disclosure of data and Scripts, missing data and possible faulty analysis). Bernd Engler , the rector of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen , announced on June 6, 2019 that it would create a counseling service for the affected patients and their relatives. Niels Birbaumer rejected the commission's report because it was wrong and announced that he would refute all allegations.

On September 19, 2019, the German Research Foundation (DFG) published the results of its investigative commission, which confirmed the allegations of the Tübingen commission. Birbaumer has been banned from the DFG as applicant and reviewer for five years and is supposed to repay the DFG funds that can be allocated to the rejected publications. In a press release he distributed, Birbaumer regretted mistakes in his way of working, but continued to insist that the results of his research were valid without providing empirical evidence, which he announced for the future. A newer website, Publications and Allegations , has put together materials in defense of the authors.

Prizes and awards

Works (selection)

Web links

Commons : Niels Birbaumer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Claudia Wüstenhagen: Researcher of Evil. Portrait of Niels Birbaumer. In: Zeit Online , April 5, 2011; Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  2. ↑ Prof. Niels Birbaumer, psychologist and neuroscientist, in conversation with Eva Lauterbach. ( Memento from May 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) SWR2 contemporaries
  3. ↑ Senior professorship for Professor Niels Birbaumer behavioral neurobiologist at the University of Tübingen will continue his projects for two years. In: Newsletter Uni Tübingen currently no. 3/2013. 2013, accessed March 31, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Niels Birbaumer. In: Wyss Center website. Retrieved January 13, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Adelheid Müller-Lissner: Researcher Birbaumer: A psychologist for the brain. Zeit Online , July 15, 2010; Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ One can learn to fear . In: Der Spiegel . No. 24 , 2014 ( online ).
  7. ↑ Niels Birbaumer: Your brain knows more than you think . 1st edition. Ullstein, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-550-08031-9 , pp. 208 .
  8. ↑ Niels Birbaumer: Your brain knows more than you think . 1st edition. Ullstein, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-550-08031-9 , pp. 210 ff .
  9. ↑ B. Kotchoubey, D. Schneider, H. Schleichert, U. Strehl, C. Uhlmann, V. Blankenhorn, W. Fröscher, N. Birbaumer: Self-regulation of slow cortical potentials in epilepsy: A retrial with analysis of influencing factors . In: Epilepsy Res. 25, 1996, pp. 269-276.
  10. ↑ U. Strehl, B. Kotchoubey, T. Trevorrow, N. Birbaumer: Predictors of seizure reduction after self regulation of slow cortical potentials as a treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. In: Epilepsy Behav. 6, 2005, pp. 156-166.
  11. ↑ W. Rief, N. Birbaumer (Ed.): Biofeedback therapy. Stuttgart, Schattauer 2000. (current edition: W. Rief, N. Birbaumer (ed.): Biofeedback: Basics, indications, communication, procedures. 3rd edition. Schattauer, Stuttgart 2011)
  12. ↑ Pia Heinemann : Buried alive in your own body. In: The world. August 9, 2008, accessed April 4, 2016 .
  13. ↑ N. Birbaumer, N. Ghanayim, T. Hinterberger, I. Iversen, B. Kotchoubey, A. Kübler, J. Perelmouter, E. Taub, H. Flor: A spelling device for the paralyzed . In: Nature . tape 398 , 1999, p. 297-298 , doi : 10.1038 / 18581 .
  14. ↑ Jeffrey Winters: Communicating by Brain Waves . In: Psychology Today . No. 5 , 2003 ( psychologytoday.com ).
  15. ^ A b Patrick Bauer, Patrick Illinger, Till Krause: Doubts about ALS research by Niels Birbaumer. April 11, 2019, accessed April 18, 2019 .
  16. ^ Niels Birbaumer, Leonardo G. Cohen: Brain – computer interfaces: communication and restoration of movement in paralysis . In: J. Physiology . tape 597.3 , 2007, p. 621-636 , doi : 10.1113 / jphysiol.2006.125633 .
  17. ↑ Ujwal Chaudhary, Bin Xia, Stefano Silvoni, Leonardo G. Cohen, Niels Birbaumer: Brain – Computer Interface – Based Communication in the Completely Locked-In State . In: PLoS Biology . tape 15 , no. 1 , January 31, 2017, ISSN  1545-7885 , p. e1002593 , doi : 10.1371 / journal.pbio.1002593 ( plos.org [accessed February 5, 2017]).
  18. ↑ Health: The hood can read the mind of the completely paralyzed . Zeit Online , January 2017
  19. ^ Martin Spüler: Questioning the evidence for BCI-based communication in the complete locked-in state . In: PLoS Biology . tape 17 , no. 4 , 2019, p. e2004750 , doi : 10.1371 / journal.pbio.2004750 (English, plos.org ).
  20. ↑ Jakob Simmank : What if he can't read minds? In: The time. April 13, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Gretchen Vogel: Research on communication with completely paralyzed patients prompts misconduct investigation. In: Science. April 9, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Birbaumer: Fight against Adversity. Retrieved May 10, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Till Krause, Felix Hütten: "Impacted like a tornado" . In: sueddeutsche.de . April 12, 2019 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed April 18, 2019]).
  24. ↑ Ujwal Chaudhary, Sudhir Pathak, Niels Birbaumer: Response to: “Questioning the evidence for BCI-based communication in the complete locked-in state” . In: PLoS Biology . tape 17 , no. 4 , 2019, p. e3000063 , doi : 10.1371 / journal.pbio.3000063 (English, plos.org ).
  25. ^ Online classification of imagined speech using functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals . PMID 30260320
  26. ↑ Man-machine control - Massive doubts about the study of mind reading - Health - Süddeutsche.de
  27. ↑ Researched, discovered, developed - news from science
  28. ↑ Niels Birbaumer: What if he can't read minds? Zeit Online , April 2019
  29. ^ Niels Birbaumer: complaint of the Tübingen university commission - health - Süddeutsche.de
  30. ↑ Niels Birbaumer: University of Tübingen accuses brain researchers of wrongdoing . Mirror online
  31. ↑ NewsFullview press releases Press release from the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen on June 6, 2019
  32. ↑ Apparent world
  33. ↑ DFG - German Research Foundation - Scientific misconduct: DFG resolves measures against brain researcher Niels Birbaumer and. Retrieved September 23, 2019 .
  34. ↑ Press release by Prof. Dr. Dr. hc mult. Niels Birbaumer. Retrieved September 23, 2019 .
  35. ↑ Publications and Allegations on communication4als.com
  36. ↑ member entry by Niels Birbaumer at the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz , accessed on 11.10.17
  37. ↑ Member entry by Prof. Dr. Niels Birbaumer (with picture and CV) at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on June 29, 2016.
  38. ^ Winner of the Helmholtz Medal. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities , accessed on July 20, 2011 .
  39. ↑ Award ceremony 2012. Fürst Donnersmarck Foundation , accessed on October 12, 2015 .
  40. ↑ University of Vienna awards two honorary doctorates to famous psychologists . Article dated December 12, 2018, accessed December 13, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Birbaumer, Niels
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Birbaumer, Niels-Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian psychologist and neurobiologist
DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Ottau , Czech Republic