My research is focused on developing novel functional MRI paradigms and using them to study cingulate cortex functions in normal cognitive and emotional processing and psychiatric disorders, especially attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Elucidating how cingulate cortex functions is vital to understanding the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, as its subregions play crucial roles in cognitive, emotional, reward and motor processes. Cingulate subdivisions are also key components of the brain’s default network. Our collaborative studies incorporate functional MRI, intracranial recordings, cognitive neuroscience techniques and clinical research methods with collaborative studies of cingulate cortex anatomy and physiology. We also use fMRI to study the mechanisms of the pharmacological effects of medications on attention and ADHD. Additionally, we are conducting multimodal imaging studies to characterize the neural substrate of meditation and social attachment processes.

 

Methods: fMRI, ASL, mMRI, DTI, PET, intracranial recordings, behavior

 

Patient groups studied: ADHD, PTSD, OCD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia