A5020718871- Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Phonetics and Phonology Research
- Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Genomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities
- Color perception and design
- Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Reading and Literacy Development
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Congenital heart defects research
- Multisensory perception and integration
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
- Music and Audio Processing
- Speech and dialogue systems
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Face Recognition and Perception
- Cellular transport and secretion
Massachusetts General Hospital
2014-2025
Harvard University
2014-2025
Yale University
2023
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
2014-2022
Boston University
2017-2021
Leipzig University
2017
Bowling Green State University
2009-2013
Rates of loneliness and other forms social disconnection have been increasing worldwide. Prior studies suggested that brief behavioral interventions can teach skills may improve functioning connection but, currently, access to such is limited. One previously untested approach for addressing this gap these using immersive, multi-user virtual reality (VR). To measure the feasibility approach, 33 young adults experiencing discomfort were enrolled in a study VR-based application called...
Neurons within early visual cortex are selective for basic image statistics, including spatial frequency. However, these neurons thought to act as band-pass filters, with the window of frequency sensitivity varying across field and areas. Although a handful previous functional (f)MRI studies have examined human using conventional designs analysis methods, measurements time consuming fail capture precision tuning (bandwidth). In this study, we introduce model-driven approach fMRI analyses...
Language and music epitomize the complex representational computational capacities of human mind. Strikingly similar in their structural expressive features, a longstanding question is whether perceptual cognitive mechanisms underlying these abilities are shared or distinct--either from each other mental processes. One prominent feature between language signal encoding using pitch, conveying pragmatics semantics melody music. We investigated how pitch processing by measuring consistency...
Regulation of interpersonal distance or "personal space" (PS; the space near body into which others cannot intrude without eliciting discomfort) is a largely unconscious channel non-verbal social communication used by many species including humans. PS abnormalities have been observed in neuropsychiatric illnesses, schizophrenia. However, neurophysiological basis these remains unknown. To investigate this question, study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected while...
While animal studies have found that arousal states modulate visual responses, direct evidence for effects of on human vision remains limited. Here, we used fMRI to examine cognitive the gain contrast response functions (CRFs) in cortex. To measure CRFs, measured BOLD responses early cortex (V1-V3) while participants (n=20, 14 females and 6 males) viewed stimuli parametrically varied contrast. induce different states, solved auditory arithmetic problems categorized as either Easy (low...
Abstract Subcortical brain structures are integral to motion, consciousness, emotions, and learning. We identified common genetic variation related the volumes of nucleus accumbens, amygdala, brainstem, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, using genome-wide association analyses in over 40,000 individuals from CHARGE, ENIGMA UK-Biobank. show that variability subcortical is heritable, identify 25 significantly associated loci (20 novel). Annotation these utilizing gene...
Our visual system is tasked with transforming variations in light within our environment into a coherent percept, typically described using properties such as luminance and contrast. Models of vision often downplay the importance shaping cortical responses, instead prioritizing representations that do not covary overall (i.e., contrast), yet visuocortical response may reflect encoding remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined whether well-established also encoding, challenging...
Response nonlinearities are ubiquitous throughout the brain, especially within sensory cortices where changes in stimulus intensity typically produce compressed responses. Although this relationship is well established electrophysiological measurements, it remains controversial whether same hold for population-based measurements obtained with human fMRI. We propose that these purported disparities not contingent on measurement type and instead largely dependent visual system state at time of...
Abstract The persecutory delusion is the most common symptom of psychosis, yet its underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Prior studies have suggested that abnormalities in medial temporal lobe-dependent associative learning may contribute to this symptom. In current study, hypothesis was tested a non-clinical sample young adults without histories psychiatric treatment (n = 64), who underwent classical Pavlovian fear conditioning while fMRI data were collected. During...
<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background</bold> Rates of loneliness and other forms social disconnection have been increasing worldwide over the past decade. Prior studies suggested that brief behavioral interventions can impact this problem but, currently, access to such is very limited. One previously untested approach for addressing gap immersive, multi-user virtual reality (VR). <bold>Methods</bold> To measure feasibility preliminary efficacy approach, 33 young adults experiencing...
ABSTRACT Background The incidence of loneliness has increased over the past several decades worldwide and is particularly common among people with serious mental illnesses. However, this public health problem been difficult to address, in part because neurocognitive mechanisms underlying are poorly understood. Methods To investigate these mechanisms, a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted which accounted for known cognitive biases associated loneliness....
Duration and speech rate are traditionally assumed to be filtered out before lexical lookup takes place, although these factors known influence phoneme perception. Here, the hypothesis was investigated that duration can affect both perceived identity, as well number implied locations of word boundaries relative signal. Experiment 1 a production study which durations vocalic portions phonetically similar versions target strings differed in their syllables (e.g., cease versus see us); were...
Temporally interfering field stimulation (TI; Grossman et al. 2017) is hypothesized to use frequency summation target deep brain structures, avoiding superficial structures. TI combines higher non-biologically relevant frequencies offset at a neurologically lower frequency, summing only locations. Efficacy of has previously been demonstrated in mouse motor cortex. Here, we report early findings assessing the safety and efficacy visually targeted humans. Following silico modeling determine...
Although animal work suggests that arousal state has a profound impact on visual responses, the effects human vision remain less well understood. To better characterize mechanisms by which affects perception, in this study we assessed influence of task difficulty gain visuocortical contrast response functions (CRFs). do so, leveraged an adaptation paradigm homogenizes population allowing us to measure compressive, nonlinear CRFs with fMRI. After adapting cortex (adapter: 16% contrast), then...