Research area

Performing a rapid eye movement to a desired goal, the oculomotor system solves several computational problems: First, it visually represents the spatial location of the goal target. Second, it transforms this representation into a motor command to activate the eye muscles. Third, it predicts the visual consequences of the motor command via simulation of the eye dynamics by an internal forward model. Moreover, due to fluctuations like motor error or muscle fatigue, the transformation process needs to be continuously calibrated to maintain appropriate landing accuracy. This process of oculomotor adaptation can be induced experimentally by shifting the target while the eyes are in flight.

Initially, oculomotor adaptation was believed to rely on the late motor circuitry of the cerebellum and the brain stem. However, recent findings show that it also involves changes in visuospatial representations. My research work aims to examine the plasticity of oculomotor learning in visuospatial, motor and forward model coordinates via computational and behavioral methods.

Publications 

Masselink, J. and Lappe, M. (2021). Visuomotor learning from postdictive motor error. eLife 2021, 10:e64278, 1-45

Masselink, J. and Lappe, M. (2015). Translation and articulation in biological motion perception. Journal Of Vision, 15(11), 10. 1-14, doi:10.1167/15.11.10 

Conference Contributions

Masselink, J., & Lappe, M. (2019). Saccadic motor command adapts to post-saccadic target representation in pre-saccadic coordinates. Poster presented at the European Conference on Eye Movements (Alicante, Spain, 2019).

Masselink, J., Oostwoud Wijdenes, L., & Medendorp, W. P. (2016). The role of the vestibular system in eye-hand coordination. Poster presented at Perception Day 2016 of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour of the Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands, 2016).  

Oostwoud Wijdenes, L., Masselink, J., & Medendorp, W. P. (2016). The role of the vestibular system in eye-hand coordination. Poster presented at Neuroscience 2016 of the Society for Neuroscience (San Diego, California, 2016).

Masselink, J., & Lappe, M. (2014). Role and processing of translation in biological motion perception. Poster presented at the 12th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society (Tübingen, Germany, 2014). 

Awards

2019: SR Research Poster Award for the best interactive presentation at the 20th European Conference on Eye Movements (Alicante, Spain)

Academic CV

• Since 04/2017 PhD research project, Institute of Psychology and Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster (Advisor: Prof. Dr. Markus Lappe)
• 03/2017 M.Sc. Psychology, specialization in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Muenster Thesis: “Eye-hand coordination during self-motion: Examining vestibular contributions to combined saccadic-reaching decisions“ (Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Markus Lappe, Prof. Dr. Pieter Medendorp)
• 08/2015-07/2016 Study and research visit at Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen
• 08/2014 B.Sc. Psychology, University of Muenster Thesis: “Role and processing of translation in biological motion perception“ (Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Markus Lappe, PD Dr. Roman Liepelt)
• 2013-2016 Student assistant, Prof. Dr. Markus Lappe, Institute of Psychology, University of Muenster