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Posts
Building the Perceived Reality (Part II Extension): The Attitude Toward Science
An extension of Part II on how science separates observer and nature, why that separation enables reproducible knowledge, and how 人道 may preserve agency while aligning scientific curiosity with 天道.
Science often begins by separating the observer from nature. This distance makes reproducible knowledge possible, but it also raises a question central to Part II: how can the human way of knowing remain aligned with the broader order of nature?
Building the Perceived Reality (Part II): Finding the One, Order
A reflection on order as the relation between roots and fruit: how procedure, justice, moral sense, and universal law can be aligned through the process of finding the one.
In the BBC thriller The Capture, video “correction” is used to manufacture evidence to convict a potential suspect for a crime he did not commit, or has not yet committed. The drama raises an unsettled question: the relation between procedural correctness and substantive justice. Here, I want to present my thought process for unifying these two seemingly opposed goals, and why I think there is a need for such unification.
What Is Writing For? A Reflection on Purpose and Epistemology
A reflection on why writing matters before and after it is read: as clarification, communication, persuasion, and an epistemological responsibility in academic work.
Writing is not only a record of finished thought. It is a method for clarifying thought, sharing knowledge, and making research intelligible to readers whose cognitive pathways may differ from the writer’s.
AI Detox: Reclaiming Thought in an Efficiency Era
I joined a recent meeting about how we can use AI rigorously and efficiently. This was my first time hearing the terms super prompting and skill files. We all agreed on the same point:...
I joined a recent meeting about how we can use AI rigorously and efficiently. This was my first time hearing the terms super prompting and skill files. We all agreed on the same point: LLMs improve our capacity to work. Tasks that used to take hours can now be done in less time. However, the time we gain is often spent asking LLMs to do even more tasks. Efficiency creates new demand for efficiency. the more we rely on it, and the less often we practice thinking without immediate assistance. What looks like productivity gain may also become cognitive outsourcing.
Building the Perceived Reality (Part I): Reality-in-Itself, Cognition, and Frameworks
Gansheng Tan (g.tan@wustl.edu)
Gansheng Tan (g.tan@wustl.edu)
Dilemma in Modern Neuroscience: The Uncertainty Principle Revisited
Gansheng Tan1 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA (g.tan@wustl.edu)
Gansheng Tan1 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA (g.tan@wustl.edu)
The perception of human society (updated)
Background Years ago, I claimed that the world was running irrationally. I was 95% wrong. I want to update my thoughts on this point as I have been dwelling in the field of medicine...
Background
Years ago, I claimed that the world was running irrationally. I was 95% wrong. I want to update my thoughts on this point as I have been dwelling in the field of medicine and neuroscience for 4 years. We, humans, perceive nature through senses and cognition. I define cognition as the ability to reason, abstract, and communicate (information transfer). Scientifically, at least based on the literature to date, cognition is grounded on our sensations. For example, we like to make visual analogies to explain a concept, such as sphere-atom, river-time, and numerous 2D illustrations in scientific publications.
Universal law in mind
Updates (July 2025) I reviewed what I have written in this post and found that many of the reasoning is missing. For example, I did not establish the necessity or the need to find...
Updates (July 2025)
I reviewed what I have written in this post and found that many of the reasoning is missing. For example, I did not establish the necessity or the need to find such a universal law, neither do I convincingly reached the conclusion that finding the universal law requires transcending humanity. As of now, I think what I refer to as universal law is the law that exists (ontology) and can not be understood by humans (epistemology) in this post. Although this definition rescue the arguement that we need transcending humanity, this definition makes it less compelling. Most importantly, such a law is inherently unknowable and its pursuit is self-contradictory.
Existence and perception
Prelude We perceive the world through vision, sensation, sound, smell, taste. Mechanistically, the receptor of the cells senses the environment and transduce the signals/molecules/electrical activities to the brain. A fundamental problem of defining existence...
Prelude
We perceive the world through vision, sensation, sound, smell, taste. Mechanistically, the receptor of the cells senses the environment and transduce the signals/molecules/electrical activities to the brain. A fundamental problem of defining existence in the world is: how do we define the existence that can not beb sensed. I find a less intimidating way to formulate the question: if the signal from cell receptor takes a certain period to reach our brain, can we tell if the stimuli occurs at the present time.
Les Aveux fidèles
Introduction On aimerait tous savoir parler plusieurs langues, par contre le problème est que quand j’ai envie de faire un bilan, toutes les langues que j’ai apprises paraissent manquer quelque choses pour qu’elles soient...
Introduction
On aimerait tous savoir parler plusieurs langues, par contre le problème est que quand j’ai envie de faire un bilan, toutes les langues que j’ai apprises paraissent manquer quelque choses pour qu’elles soient parfaites. Et bien, grace au principe du rasoir d’Ockham, j’écrirai comme je parle à moi-même, peu n’import quelle langue. D’un côté, cela demandera moins d’effort; de l’autre, cela me permettra exprimer mes réflexions brutes sans qu’ils soient partiellement cachées à cause de la honte ou alors la peur qu’on me juge.
portfolio
Portfolio item number 1
Published:
Short description of portfolio item number 1
Portfolio item number 2
Published:
Short description of portfolio item number 2
projects
Closed-loop TMS for stroke rehabilitation based on corticomuscular network
closed-loop neuromodulation begun in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2022
This project uses corticomuscular network measures to characterize sensorimotor recovery and inform stimulation strategies. It frames closed-loop TMS as a systems problem: sensing brain-muscle interaction, identifying interpretable biomarkers, and adapting intervention to patient-specific network...
Wearable vibrotactile taVNS device and system
neurotechnology system begun in Washington University in St. Louis, 2024
This project develops a wearable vibrotactile taVNS system for closed-form experimental delivery during cognitive and physiological measurement. It supports research questions about stimulation timing, autonomic state, and cognitive performance.
Electrode-localization
innovation project begun in Department of Biomedical Engineering, 2025
Algorithms in MATLAB for objectively and automatically localizing intracranial contac, based on CT images, MRI images, and freesurfer segmentation.
Explainable machine learning for cognitive neuroscience
research framework begun in Washington University in St. Louis, 2025
This project develops an explainable machine learning framework for cognitive neuroscience. The goal is to learn complex relationships between neural signals and cognitive behavior, then explain model decisions in a way that supports scientific...
publications
Review of 2018 EEG signals analysis during meditation
Published in NON, 2018
This review is about the setting up stage of EEG signals analysis project
Recommended citation: Gansheng, T.&Shuhui, W.&Valentin, V.& Wei,M. (2018). "Review of 2018 EEG signals analysis during meditation." Jalon. 1(4).
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Comparison between the performance of GAN and DCGAN
Published in NON, 2019
Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) are algorithms that generate content (usually images), which imitate real content that is fed to them.
Recommended citation: Gezheng, X.&Gansheng, T.&Fangxu, L.&Xiaoyu, S.(2019). "Comparison between the performance of GAN and DCGAN." Learning network. NA(NA).
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Classification of meditation state and auditory attention control state
Published in NON, 2019
This detailed paper elucidate the methods and results of using EEG signal band power, ratios of frequencies magnitudes and phase-amplitude coupling in classification
Recommended citation: Gansheng, T.&Shuhui, W.&Valentin, V.& Wei,M. (2019). "Classification of meditation state and auditory attention control state." Jalon. 1(4).
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Automated Preprocessing and Spectral Analysis of EEG Signal during FA and OP Meditation
Published in NON, 2019
This paper porpose one advanced preprocessing approach for EEG artifact cleaning
Recommended citation: Gansheng, T.(2019). "Automated Preprocessing and spectral analysis of EEG signal during FA and OP meditation." neuroPsychologia. 3(12).
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Multiscale Transfer Spectral Entropy for Quantifying Corticomuscular Interaction
Published in IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 2021
Multiscale transfer spectral entropy for quantifying directed corticomuscular interaction across scales.
Recommended citation: Liu, J., Tan, G., Sheng, Y., & Liu, H. (2021). Multiscale Transfer Spectral Entropy for Quantifying Corticomuscular Interaction. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 25(6), 2281-2292. https://doi.org/10.1109/JBHI.2020.303297
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A Trend on Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: Eye Tracking-EEG Correlative Analytics
Published in IEEE, 2021
A Trend on Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: Eye Tracking-EEG Correlative Analytics.
Recommended citation: G. Tan, K. Xu, J. Liu and H. Liu, "A Trend on Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: Eye Tracking-EEG Correlative Analytics," in IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1232-1244, Sept. 2022, doi: 10.1109/TCDS.2021.3102646.
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A framework for quantifying the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on motor recovery from hemiparesis: corticomuscular network
Published in Journal of Neural Engineering, 2022
Corticomuscular network as a framework for understanding motor recovery following stroke and optimizing TMS.
Recommended citation: Tan, G., Wang, J., Liu, J., Sheng, Y., Xie, Q., & Liu, H. (2022). A framework for quantifying the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on motor recovery from hemiparesis: corticomuscular network. Journal of Neural Engineering, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ac636b
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Does vibrotactile stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve enhance working memory? A behavioral and physiological investigation
Published in Brain Stimulation, 2024
Development of novel noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation for working memory improvement
Recommended citation: Tan, G., Adams, J., Donovan, K., Demarest, P., Willie, J. T., Brunner, P., Gorlewicz, J. L., & Leuthardt, E. C. (2024). Does vibrotactile stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve enhance working memory? A behavioral and physiological investigation. In Brain Stimulation (Vol. 17, Issue 2, pp. 460–468). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2024.04.002
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The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on cardiovascular function in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients: A randomized trial
Published in eLife, 2025
A randomized trial showing that taVNS can be delivered safely in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients while modulating autonomic balance.
Recommended citation: Tan, G., Huguenard, A. L., Donovan, K. M., Demarest, P., Liu, X., Li, Z., Adamek, M., Lavine, K., Vellimana, A. K., Kummer, T. T., Osbun, J. W., Zipfel, G. J., Brunner, P., & Leuthardt, E. C. (2025). The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on cardiovascular function in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients: A randomized trial. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.100088
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Mind’s eye: Saccade-related evoked potentials support visual encoding in humans
Published in medRxiv, 2025
Saccade-related evoked potentials support visual encoding in humans.
Recommended citation: Tan, G., Demarest, P., Li, Y., Cho, H., Park, H., Swift, J. R., Inman, C. S., Manns, J. R., Hamann, S. B., Liu, X., Wahlstrom, K. L., Li, Z., Hollearn, M. K., Campbell, J. M., Cettina, P. E., Sivakumar, S. S., Leuthardt, E. C., Willie, J. T., & Brunner, P. (2025). Mind's eye: Saccade-related evoked potentials support visual encoding in humans. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.11.25339896
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Ultrasound Applications in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review of Techniques and Therapeutic Potentials in Clinical Trials and Animal Model Studies
Published in Neuromodulation, 2026
A systematic review of focused ultrasound neuromodulation for major depressive disorder across clinical trials and animal model studies.
Recommended citation: Tan, G., Chen, H., & Leuthardt, E. C. (2026). Ultrasound Applications in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review of Techniques and Therapeutic Potentials in Clinical Trials and Animal Model Studies. Neuromodulation, 29(2), 187-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurom.2025.08.001
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talks
Invited Seminar at the CENTER FOR BRAIN-COMPUTING RESEARCH
Published:
[More information here] (https://personal.ntu.edu.sg/ctguan/research.html)M.S. Tan talk about the interaction between cortical oscillation and muscle synergies (OSI) in healthy individuals and hemiparesis patients. M.S. Tan found OSI were 5 muscle synergies during the rectangular movement...
Tutorial 1 on Relevant Topic in Your Field
Published:
More information here
CS² 2018, LE COLLOQUE SCIENTIFIQUE DE CENTRALESUPÉLEC
Published:
More information hereIn CS² conference, Gansheng and his team talks about the correlation between biomarkers including heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, heart rate variability and EEG signals found in different state of meditation...
Working memory in humans
Published:
This talks introduces how working memory is formed and how it affects everyday’s decision.
2024 Society of Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Published:
This talks presents The Interaction between Eye Movement and Middle Temporal Lobe activity During Visual Exploration: Insights from Electrophysiological Data. We found evoked potential occurring at saccade onset and offset.
teaching
Analysis, probability, statistics and PDE
engineering student course, CentraleSupélec, MICS, 2018
This course is served as an reinfocing course to programs in mathematics
Le Cours Français
le cours est ouvert pour tout le monde, Paris-Shanghai, 2019
Les leçons pour bien débuter en français et apprendre du vocabulaire, l’alphabet, la prononciation, la grammaire.
Biomedical-data-science
BME course, Washington University in St. Louis, 2024
This course introduce computational model and data science in the field of biomedical engineering.