Participate in Our Research

NeuroPOD is an online assessment battery designed to measure different aspects of thinking and behaviour, including attention, memory, decision-making, mood, food-related behaviour, and sleep habits.

This pilot study aims to evaluate and improve the NeuroPOD battery before it is used for formal research data collection.

Contact

O'BRAIN Lab - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki
Manon Chédeville - manon.chedeville@helsinki.fi
Annette Horstmann (PI) - annette.horstmann@helsinki.fi

Location: Online

Duration: Main task set: 15-20 minutes (optional tasks: 2-13 minutes each)

💡 What's Involved?

• A main set of cognitive tasks and questionnaires completed by all participants
• A small number of randomly assigned tasks
• Optionally, up to 9 additional tasks
• A short feedback questionnaire and basic demographic information (e.g., age and sex) at the end

✨ Why Join?

• Help improve new research tools for studying cognition and behaviour
• Participate fully online from your own device
• All data are handled confidentially

📝 Eligibility Criteria

• • At least 18 years old
• • Understand English sufficiently to follow the instructions

We are inviting participants to take part in an exciting online study that explores the relationship between individual personality traits and the perception of everyday situations, and how these interact to influence our daily food choices.

Duration: 10-15 Minutes

💡 What's Involved?

• You'll answer anonymous questionnaires about your general well-being, stress, and your current life situation.
• We'll assess your personal motivation styles and how you respond to different stimuli in everyday life.
• You'll provide information about your eating habits and the reasons behind your daily food choices.

✨ Why Join?

• Support science: You'll help generate important insights into health and behaviors of young adults.
• Flexibility: Participation is 100% online and can be completed conveniently from any device.
• Anonymity: Your data will be collected strictly confidentially and completely anonymously.

📝 Eligibility Criteria

• • At least 18 years old
• • Fluent in English or German

We're inviting breast cancer survivors* AND women who have not had cancer to participate in a 100% online study that explores brain function, diet, and well-being after cancer.

*In this instance, you are considered a 'survivor' if your active treatments (not including hormonal therapy) ended more than 3 months ago.

Location: At Home

💡 What's Involved?

• Engage in brain tests to assess your thinking skills
• Track your food intake for a better understanding of your diet
• Answer different well-being questionnaires (sleep, mood, physical activity…)

✨ Why Join?

• Get personalized feedback on your brain performance, diet, and well-being
• Help advance cancer research and support breast cancer survivors
• Convenient & flexible: All tasks are online, available on any device

📋 How Does It Work?

• 3 short sessions (~25 min each) + 1 questionnaire session (~30 min) over 1 week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday)
• 100% online—participate from anywhere!
• Sign up in minutes

Brain intervention study for breast cancer survivors in Finland. Did you notice a change in your thinking after your breast cancer? Try our neural cap; it may help boost your thinking! This study looks at how the brain changes after breast cancer and whether transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve thinking skills.

tDCS is a safe, painless method that gently stimulates the brain using electrodes on the scalp. Know more about the device and how it works here. The study runs for 11 weeks, including a 6‑week intervention. Breast cancer survivors* are randomly assigned to either real stimulation or placebo (no stimulation), and neither you nor the researchers will know which group you’re in.

*In this instance, you are considered a 'survivor' if your active treatments (not including hormonal therapy) ended more than 3 months ago.

Location: Helsinki, Finland

💡 What's Involved?

• Gentle brain modulation
• Engage in brain tests to assess your thinking skills
• Track your food intake for a better understanding of your diet
• Answer different well-being questionnaires (sleep, mood, physical activity…)

✨ Why Join?

• Compensation: Two Movie Vouchers
• Get personalized feedback on your brain performance, diet, and well-being
• Help advance cancer research and support breast cancer survivors
• Convenient & flexible: All tasks are online, available on any device

📋 How Does It Work?

• 1st tDCS session guided by our team (via video call or held in Helsinki)
• 23 next tDCS sessions (30 minutes each) at home
• Sign up in minutes

We are inviting participants to take part in an exciting online study that explores the value people associate with various common food snacks.

💡 What's Involved?

• Session 1: Start the task neither hungry nor full (at least 1 hour fasted). You'll rate pictures of food on a computer screen and answer questionnaires for approximately 1.5 hours
• Session 2: Begin the task after fasting for at least 4 hours. You'll bid on the same food items for 10 minutes
• Final Step (Optional): Visit our facilities for a 10–15 minute body measurement

✨ Why Join?

• Compensation: Earn €15 (taxable income) for your participation
• Convenience: 2/3 sessions are conducted online
• Contribution: Help advance our understanding of food preferences

📝 Eligibility Criteria

• • Aged 18–45 years
• • Resident of Finland for at least 5 years
• • Fluent in English
• • No serious medical conditions (e.g., cancer, chronic back pain), visual impairments, or color blindness
• • No dietary restrictions, food allergies, or sensitivities
• • No implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemaker)
• • No advanced degrees in nutrition (e.g., Master's or equivalent)
• • Smoking less than 20 cigarettes a week or using nicotine patches (snus)