Research and Funding
The overarching concern of this lab is to study how humans are able to control themselves - a field broadly known as cognitive control. To do this we develop experiments in the tradition of cognitive psychology. For example, we measure how people can stop responses that are already initiated.
To understand the brain architecture for cognitive control we are employing Electrocorticography, scalp EEG, functional and structural MRI, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and the study of neurological patients. More specifically, several projects revolve around understanding how frontal/basal-ganglia circuits are engaged during cognitive control over the motor system - see Publications for more.
We also examine how people are able to control emotional/motivational processing, and how loss of control relates to neuropsychiatric impulse control disorders, e.g. here.
A different project uses functional and structural MRI to try to develop a biomarker to evaluate the integrity of frontal/basal-ganglia circuits in people carrying the Huntington’s disease gene. See our recent (2011) publication here.
We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the following:
