CHEN Lab
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
Clinical Health, Emotion, & Neuroscience Lab
About Us
We are the Clinical Health, Emotion, & Neuroscience Laboratory (CHEN lab) at the Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
We investigate the basic “intra-” and “inter-” personal processes of human emotions and how they are affected by normal and clinical aging. We also develop innovative ways to quantify brain and emotional changes and health outcomes in the laboratory (e.g., virtual reality, brain-to-brain EEG/MEG synchrony) and in the real-world (e.g., wearables, smart-home devices, GPS).
Our Approach
We advance knowledge in basic affective science and clinical aging (e.g., dyadic interpersonal processes between persons with dementia and family caregivers) and apply it to address real-world issues (e.g. detecting and intervening changes in real-world social interactions using wearables and in-home sensors)
Our Methods
We use an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach (e.g., self-report, behavioral coding, dyadic psychophysiology with EEG, neuroimaging, wearables/remote sensors, driving simulation) and work with neurotypical older adults/couples as well as people living with neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., dementia, Parkinson’s disease) and their spousal caregivers in the laboratory and real-world settings.