Mark E. Wheeler, Principal Investigator CV
Ph.D., Psychology
My primary interest is memory. My early research examined neural mechansims of sensory-specific recollections. I have also become more interested in understanding how memory operates under different attentional demands, and how we arrive at decisions that are based on our memories and perceptions. The lab has been studying perceptual decison making in order to identify neurobiological signals related to different stages of the decision process. We have recently been building from this research to study how memory, attention, and decision making abilities change in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease.
|
Graduate Students
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Kristine Wilckens, M.A., Psychology | CV | CNS 2009 Poster | SFN 2010 Poster | |||||||||||||||
| Doctoral Program, Psychology | ||||||||||||||||||
 |
My interests include memory and factors which influence memory formation and retrieval. My current project uses electroencephalography (EEG) to identify neural correlates of a memory retrieval deficit in normal aging. This research aims to provide an understanding of normal memory decline. Additionally, by examining what goes wrong when memory is impaired or inefficient, we can better understand the mechanisms underlying normal function.
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Kyle Dunovan, B.S., Neuroscience | ||||||||||||||||||
| Doctoral Program, Psychology | ||||||||||||||||||
 |
My central interest is in perceptual decision-making; specifically, how evidence is accumulated toward a choice and how this process is manifested in the BOLD response. In addition, I am interested in how evidence accumulation is affected in the context of Bayesian inference and other behavioral manipulations. In the future I hope to expand on this research by investigating how these phenomena are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. | |||||||||||||||||
| Jonathan Siegel, M.A., Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||||
| Doctoral Program, Psychology | ||||||||||||||||||
|
My primary research interests are seated in the domain of cognitive aging. I plan to use a combination of advanced neuroimaging technologies and cognitive neuroscience research techniques in order to investigate the ways in which the human mind undergoes adaptations and changes throughout the aging process. I am interested in the cognitive and neural bases of human memory, especially concerning the affect of age-related changes in the brain’s structure and function both in healthy populations and those with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
Afton Kirk
M.S. Counseling Psychology
I have developed an interest in cognitive development and change across the lifespan - from birth into late life. I feel it is imperative that we continue to attain knowledge and understanding of healthy developmental trajectories and their possible deviations for both prevention and intervention efforts. I am currently working with Dr. Wheeler with his work on cognitive and neurobiological processes in perceptual decision making and their effects on reasoning, memory, and attention.
Joshua Tremel
B.S., Neuroscience
I am interested in memory and basic decision making and how those processes function to integrate sensory information into a motor plan. Currently, I'm working on an fMRI study that investigates the accumulation of sensory evidence during perceptual categorization. In the future, it would be interesting to see what insights similar paradigms provide into the neurobiology of aging and disease.
Sarah Woo
B.S., Biology and Psychology
I am interested in understanding basic decision-making and the influence of normal aging on memory. Recent research includes an investigation of the effects of aging on successful retrieval of encoded information. Additionally, I am currently working on an fMRI study exploring the resources that the brain employs while making probabilistic decisions. I look forward to continuing to learn and understand the ways in which aging affects memory performance and the brain’s process behind decision-making.
Research Specialists
Undergraduate Researchers
Ashley Nielsen, Bioengineering
Krupa Patel, Neuroscience
I am interested in neural circuitry and how information travels within the brain, as a system, to produce complex cognitive processes. I have also become fascinated with neuroimaging, especially fMRI, as a method of studying this circuitry in humans. Currently, I am studying how neural networks in a resting-state change with healthy aging in efforts to create a model. The analysis methods and processing scripts I have developed can then be applied to Alzheimer's data to see how these networks change with the onset of the disease. Outside of research, I love baking and barbeque.
As a senior year student in Neuroscience, I have developed an interest in the neural basis of perception and cognition with focus on memory and decision making. Currently, I am working on a study that examines memory and decision making in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). I look forward to continuing to learn how our research will provide underlying neural insights for Alzheimer's Disease.
Ashley Senders, Psychology
Over the past couple years I have developed an interest in the neural basis of cognition and perception. My interest was sparked initially by Dr. Wheeler’s undergraduate course entitled ‘Sensation and Perception’. However, I have always been fascinated by how miniscule structures within the brain all work in harmony to prompt a person to act in a certain way or to make a specific decision. Currently, I am helping with a project related to how evidence is accumulated toward a decision and how that process is illustrated by the BOLD response. I look forward to seeing how the research in this lab will become applicable to Alzheimer’s disease.
Summer Internships (2011)
Ashley Nielsen, Univ. Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering Summer Research
Lexi Crommett, Texas A&M, Center for Neuroscience Summer Research Program
Past Members
Graduate Students
Elisabeth Ploran, Ph.D.
Research Specialists
Regina Leckie, B.S.
Francisco Morales, J.D.
Marla Nathans, B.A.
Eric Signoff, B.A.
Ariel Singer, M.S.
Undergraduate Research Assistants and Honors Students
Ashley Abraham, Psychology
Sarah Banducci, B.A., Psychology
Kris Budhram, Psychology
Amanda Collier, B.S., Psychology, Brackenridge Fellow
Eric Cyterski, B.A., Psychology
Carolyn Ellis, Psychology
Megan Flaherty, Psychology
Anton Ladden, B.S., Neuroscience
Matt McShane, Psychology
Janani Prabhakar, B.S., Neuroscience and Psychology
David Raboy, B.A., Psychology
John Skicki, Psychology
Matthew Sniscak, Psychology and Applied Math
Christopher Stevens, B.A., Psychology, Honor's Thesis
Alyse Thomas, B.A., Neuroscience
Tobin Vijayan, Neuroscience
Amanda Worek, B.A., Psychology
Anna Xu, B.S. Neuroscience
Krista Yakub, B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology, Honor's Thesis
Jeffrey Phillips, M.S.
High School Internship
Nathaniel Blecher, Upper St. Clair High School
Leslie Denlinger, Psychology
Rebecca Taylor, Neuroscience and Psychology
Marina Lukac, Neuroscience and Psychology