Overview of Research

We use a variety of cognitive neuroscience methods, but principally functional imaging (PET, fMRI), human neuropsychology (group lesion studies, single case investigations etc.), computational modeling; human experimental psychological investigations; developmental studies (i.e. studies of how cognition changes as the brain develops) and studies of ageing. Currently there are 4 main strands of research being carried out by this group:

Organisation of the Frontal Lobe System

Discovering what role the different regions of the frontal lobes play in human cognition, and how they work together. We have a special interest in discovering the functions of brain area 10, which is a large part of the frontal lobes about which little is known.

Memory Control Processing

People neither notice nor remember everything that has happened to them. Instead, the information is encoded, reconstructed and filtered through available information, our expectations and other determining variables. The processes that control and determine these cognitive operations are known as "memory control processes". We are studying how these processes operate and are organised in the brain.

Behavioural Organisation

We are investigating how the brain enables people to decide what they want to achieve and how they are going to do it (Planning), then dovetail their activities in the best way to achieve them (Multitasking), switch between different tasks (Task Switching) and remember to carry out things at a later time (Prospective Memory).

Clinical Applications

We are also interested in the clinical application of our work (e.g. cognitive neurorehabilitation; psychological treatments; development of assessment and treatment tools). These studies are carried out in collaborations with our clinical colleagues (e.g. clinical psychologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists) in various hospitals around the UK and elsewhere throughout the world. We are always interested in hearing from clinicians who would like to collaborate in research with us.

This page last modified 12 November, 2009 by ICN WEB Team

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