About Brainwise

Brainwise was founded by Dr. Aisha Cortoos as means of combining and  bringing together academic and clinical expertise on sleep and stress. She received her Master in Psychology in 2004 (VUB), her PhD in Biological Psychology in 2009 (VUB) and her postgraduate in systemic psychotherapy in 2013 (IPRR). I

In 2008 she started as a sleep psychologist at the sleep lab of the University Hospital Brussel. Together with her colleagues in Antwerp and Leuven, and in collaboration with the Belgian Association for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (BASS), she developed the landscape of insomnia treatment in Belgium. 

As a Postdoctoral fellow she collaborates with the Royal Military Academy (RMA) on projects regarding sleep, fatigue and performances. She is voluntary scientific collaborator at the VUB (MFYS), and at RMA (VIPER) and is part of the teaching staff for several trainings organised by the BASS. She is the founder of Brainwise, which focuses on bringing the science about maintaining a healthy brain for peak performances to the public. She gives lectures and workshops in companies and for other healthcare professionals and sees clients with sleep complaints, chronic fatigue, stress and burnout.

Commission of Psychologists nr: 812108739
Visum Clinical Psychology FOD Healthcare: 265306
ondernemingsnummer: 0817 546 583

Professional societies and Board memberships

Board member of the Beroepsvereniging voor Wetenschappelijk onderbouwde Psychotherapie (BWP)

Member of the Belgische Vereniging voor Relatie- en Gezinstherapie en Systeemcounseling (BVRGS)

Member of the Belgian Association of Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (B.A.S.S.)

Member of the Belgische Federatie van Psychologen (BFP)

Member of the Vlaamse Vereniging voor Klinisch Psychologen (VVKP)

Certified by the Commission of Psychologists

Awards

André Kahn Sleep Award for her oral presentation “ a teleneurofeedback versus a telebiofeedback protocol in insomnia patients: a preliminary study” on the 25 international meeting of the B.A.S.S., oktober 2007

APSelect: Monthly award of the American Physiological Society for best Physiological Research (January 2017).

Publications:
  • Pattyn N., Van Cutsem J., Lacroix E., Van Puyvelde M., Cortoos A., Roelands B., Tibax V., Dessy E., Huret M., Rietjens G., Sannen M., Vliegen R., Ceccaldi J., Peffer J., Neyens E., Duvigneaud N. and Van Tiggelen D. (2022). Lessons From Special Forces Operators for Elite Team Sports Training: How to Make the Whole Greater Than the Sum of the Parts. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol 4: 780767
    doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.780767
  • Dessy, E. , Mairesse, O., Van Puyvelde, M. Cortoos, A., Neyt, X. & Pattyn, N.(2020). Train your brain? Can we really selectively train specific EEG frequencies with Neurofeedback training. Frontiers in Human Neurosciences, Vol14, nr.22, p. 1-9
  • Nathalie Pattyn, Olivier Mairesse,Aisha Cortoos, Nele Marcoen, Xavier Neyt, Romain Meeusen. (2017). Sleep during an Antarctic summer expedition: new light on “polar” insomnia. Journal of Applied Physiology Vol. 122, p.788 – 794. DOI:10.1152/japplphysiol.00606.201
  • Dessy, E. ,Cortoos, A., Mairesse, O. & Pattyn, N. Insomnia reviewed. (2016). In Yucha, C., & Montgomery, D. (Eds) Evidence-based practice in biofeedback and neurofeedback (3rd edition). Wheat Ridge, CO: AAPB.
  • Collet, Gregory; Mairesse, Olivier; Cortoos, Aisha; Tellez, Helio Fernandez; Neyt, Xavier; Peigneux, Philippe; Macdonald-Nethercott, Eoin; Ducrot, Yves-Marie; Pattyn, Nathalie (2015). Altitude and Seasonality Impact on Sleep in Antarctica. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, Volume 86, Number 4, April 2015, pp. 392-396(5)
  • Aisha Cortoos, Elke De Valck, Nathalie Pattyn, Olivier Mairesse, Raymond Cluydts. Excitatory versus inhibitory impairments in insomnia patients: An ERP study. (2014) International Journal of Psychophysiology, 93(1), p62-69 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.03.004)
  • Mairesse O, De Valck E, Quanten S, Neu D, Cortoos A, Pattyn N, Theuns P, Cluydts R, Hofmans J. (2014). Sleepiness phenomics: Modeling individual differences in subjective sleepiness profiles. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 93(1), p150-161 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.03.021)
  • N Pattyn, O Mairesse, A Cortoos, J Morais, E Soetens, B Roelands, A Van Den Nest, R Kolinsky (2014). Cardiac Reactivity and preserved performance under stress: two sides of the same coin? International Journal of Psychophysiology, 93(1), p30 - 37(DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.03.008).
  • Verbeek I. & Cortoos A. (2013) Niet-farmacologische behandeling van insomnie en circadiane ritmestoornissen. In Verbraeken J. et al. (eds) Leerboek Slaap en Slaapstoornissen, Acco Leuven
  • Mairesse O., De Valck E., Cortoos A., Neu D., Pattyn N., Hofmans J. (2012) Towards quantitative sleepiness phenotypes. Journal of Sleep Research, 21 (S1), 334-335
  • Hanssens Sophie & Cortoos Aisha (2012). Slaap en vermoeidheid bij kanker. Oncologisch Tijdschrift, jaargang 12, nummer 1, 34-38
  • Hanssens S., Luyten R., Watthy C., Fontaine C., Decoster L., Baillon C., Trullemans F., Cortoos A., De Grève J. (2011). Evaluation of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for post-treatment cancer patients. Oncology Nursing Forum, 38, 418-424
  • Cortoos Aisha, De Valck Elke, Cluydts Raymond. (2010). Conditioned arousal in insomnia patients. In: Yolanda E. Soriento (Eds) Melatonin, Sleep and Insomnia. Nova Science Publishers Inc., New York
  • Cortoos Aisha, De Valck Elke, Arns Martijn, Breteler Marinus & Cluydts Raymond. (2010). Tele-neurofeedback and tele-biofeedback in primary insomnia patients: An exploratory study on the effects on subjective and objective sleep. Applied psychophysiology and Biofeedback 35, 125-134.
  • Van der Cruyssen L, Van Duynslaeger M., Cortoos A., Van Overwalle F (2009). ERP time course and brain areas of spontaneous and intentional goal inferences. Social Neuroscience, 4, 165-18
  • Cortoos Aisha, Cluydts Raymond (2007). Neurophysiology of insomnia. De agenda Psychiatrie en Neurologie, 42, 14-16
  • Cortoos Aisha, Verstraeten Edwin, Cluydts Raymond (2006). Neurophysiological aspects of primary insomnia: Implications for its treatment. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 10, 255-266


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