Vision & Memory Neuroimaging Lab

How does the brain enable people to see the world in an organized and meaningful way based on prior experience?

We use multiple methods of cognitive neuroscience to investigate the brain basis of human visual knowledge. In our research, we examine object, scene, and spatial perception and cognition, learning, and memory in the visual sensory modality. We are particularly interested in which posterior cortical regions enable people to categorize what they see, and how long an image is  processed before they can do this. We also investigate the role of corticostriatal circuits and the medial temporal lobe. The primary techniques we use are event-related brain potentials (ERPs), which have a high temporal resolution,  and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which has a high spatial resolution. We combine the results from multiple neuroimaging techniques to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of the neural systems for human cognition. Most of our research involves young neurologically normal populations. We also study how neural systems for vision and memory change with normal aging and neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. We thus use a multimodal methods approach to define when (ERP), where (fMRI, neuropsychology), and how particular neural processes and representations support human vision, learning, and memory.

 

Department of Psychology, Tufts University

 

 

MGH-NMR Martinos Center, Harvard Medical School