Problem-solving and Planning

Planning is an essential cognitive process that affects every aspect of one’s life. Although planning is important, we still know very little about how it is accomplished. One task that has been used extensively to assess planning function is the Tower of London. This research project uses a combination of behavioral and neuroimaging techniques to study the TOL. The studies are designed to obtain a clearer characterization of the neural architecture that supports the planning process. 

Language comprehension

We are involved in a number of studies that explore the neural architecture that supports language comprehension.  Below is a brief description of some of these projects.

In this NIH-funded project we examine the impact of semantics on syntactic analysis. The project uses both behavioral measures and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the interaction between semantic and syntactic processing during sentence comprehension. There are two major aims of this research. The first is to obtain a better understanding of how highly familiar, world knowledge influences sentence comprehension processes. The second aim is to determine what aspects of syntactic processing are influenced by semantics.

Language processing deteriorates in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), inevitably leading to difficulty in communication.  This study examines syntactic processing in patients who have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).  Because of the working memory impairments linked to MCI, by studying this group we hope to better characterize the interaction between working memory and language comprehension.

Most of the previous dyslexia research has focused children. This project is designed to explore the neuro-cognitive processing of dyslexic adults. Many dyslexic individuals do acquire proficient reading comprehension skills despite having preserved language processing deficits. One outstanding question is how have these individuals compensated for their reading deficit; what compensatory processes allow for their proficient reading.