Preißl Team – fMEG Center
Innere Medizin IV – Universitätsklinikum Tübingen
Otfried Müller Straße 47
72076 Tübingen Germany
Phone: +49707129-87717
Email: joel.frohlich{@}uni-tuebingen.de | jfneuro{@}pm.me
Website: joelfrohlich.com
Current position:
Postdoctoral researcher (see my current CV as of March 2025)
Research Interests:
My current research uses fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) to study prenatal social cognition, perception, and the developmental origins of consciousness. My prior research background is in neurodevelopmental disorders and disorders of consciousness, where in both cases I used electroencephalography (EEG) to identify neural markers related to particular genetic etiologies and states of consciousness, respectively.
projects:
- The First Glimpse: Investigating fetal visual perception in the womb (Bial Foundation research grant)
- Fetal magnetoencephalography with optically pumped magnetometers
- My first body: bodily-self representation in normal and pathological developmental context (collaboration with Prof. Garbarini’s ERC project at the University of Turin)
In the media (interviews and research):
- Coverage of the NYU Infant Consciousness Meeting by Science for a March 2025 news article titled “Consciousness before birth? Imaging studies explore the possibility.”
- Coverage of Frohlich et al. 2024 Nature Mental Health by New Scientist for an April 2024 news article titled “Brain activity seems to be more complex in baby girls than boys”
- Coverage of Frohlich et al. 2024 Nature Mental Health by Der Spiegel for a March 2024 cover story titled “Kuck mal, wer da denkt!”
- Coverage of Murrary et al. 2024 Neuropsychopharmacology by New Scientist for a February 2024 news article titled “Microdosing LSD increases the complexity of your brain signals”
- Coverage of Bayne et al. 2023 Trends in Cognitive Sciences by Der Spiegel for a December 2023 article titled “Wie fühlt es sich an, ein Baby zu sein?”
Recent publications:
For a full publication history, please see my ORCID profile.
2024
- J. Frohlich T. Bayne. (2024). Markers of consciousness in infants: Towards a ‘cluster‐based’ approach. Acta Paediatrica. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.17449
- T. Bayne*, J. Frohlich*, R. Cusack, J. Moser, L. Naci. (2024). Infants and markers: reply to Taylor and Bremner. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. *co-first authorship https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(24)00052-4
- J. Frohlich, J. Moser, K. Sippel, P.A.M. Mediano, H. Preissl, A. Gharabaghi, “Sex differences in prenatal development of neural complexity in the human brain,” Nature Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-024-00206-4
- C.H. Murray, J. Frohlich, C.J. Haggarty, I. Tare, R. Lee, & H. de Wit, ”Neural complexity is increased after low doses of LSD, but not moderate to high doses of oral THC or methamphetamine,” Neuropsychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-024-01809-2
2023
- T. Bayne*, J. Frohlich*, R. Cusack, J. Moser, L. Naci, “Consciousness in the cradle: on the emergence of infant experience,” Trends in Cognitive Sciences. *co-first authorship https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.018
- J. Frohlich, J.S. Crone, P.A.M. Mediano, D. Toker, D. Bor, “Dissociations between neural activity and conscious state: a key to understanding consciousness,” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1256168
- J. Frohlich, P.A.M. Mediano, F. Bavato, A. Gharabaghi, “Paradoxical pharmacological dissociations result from drugs that enhance delta oscillations but preserve consciousness,” Communications Biology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04988-8
- J. Frohlich, T. Bayne, J.S. Crone, A. DallaVecchia, A. Kirkeby-Hinrup, P.A.M. Mediano, J. Moser, K. Talar, A. Gharabaghi, H. Preissl. “Not with a ’zap’ but with a ’beep’: measuring the origins of perinatal experience,” NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120057