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 Behavioral/Cognitive Neuroscience
Behavior is the goal. The computations performed by the brain have one primary goal: to produce appropriate behavior. Behavior represents the external expression of complex patterned activity in the brain and is continuously modulated by internal and external sensory information and by internal drives and states. The relation between cellular and molecular events and external patterns of behavior is the new frontier in behavioral neurobiology. Penn has an active interdisciplinary program studying these complex relationships.
Cognition is the strategy. In humans, behavior is usually not produced by reflex or simple motor programs; instead, we think, remember, discuss, and decide. Cognitive neuroscientists at Penn are using the latest developments in neuroimaging and other techniques to study the intricate and, until now, hidden processes of thought, memory, and language. The recent establishment of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, directed by Martha Farah, has greatly enhanced Penn's research program in this area.
Labs at Penn that have cognitive neuroscience projects:
Geoffrey K. Aguirre, MD, PhD
The cognitive neuroscience of higher-level visual function, recovery
of visual function following focal brain lesion or after treatment of
ophthalmologic disease, perceptual learning
Abass Alavi, MD Neuroimaging
with positron emission tomography (PET); single photon emission computed
tomography (SPECT); magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy
Julie Blendy, PhD molecular basis of drug abuse
David Brainard, PhD Psychophysics;
computational modeling; electroretinogram (ERG), fMRI
Anjan Chatterjee, MD The cognitive neuroscience of spatial attention and representation, the neural basis of language, and the relationship of space and language
Martha J. Farah, PhD Neural bases of vision and visual cognition in humans
Marco Frank, PhD The function of sleep in developing and adult animals
Joshua Gold, PhD How the brain forms decisions about sensory stimuli: What are the underlying neural computations? Where are the circuits that perform these computations? How are these circuits shaped by experience?
Murray Grossman, MD/EdD Evaluating the cognitive and physiological basis for language and communicative processing in humans
Ruben C. Gur, PhD Human neuropsychology, emotion and cognitive processes, integration of neurobehavioral data with neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic data on regional brain function in healthy, neurologic and psychiatric populations; understanding sex differences in health and disease from a neurodevelopmental perspective
Amishi Jha, PhD Cognitive neuroscience
of human working memory and attention.
Michael J. Kahana, PhD Human memory and its neural mechanisms; Brain Oscillations
Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular and cellular basis of anesthetic induced loss of consciousness
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing
R. Arlen Price, PhD Genetics of complex human traits, partilcularly obesity and psychiatric illness
Peter Sterling, PhD Microcircuitry of the visual system
Sharon L. Thompson-Schill, PhD Neural bases of memory and language in humans
Labs at Penn that have behavioral neuroscience projects:
Ted Abel, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity, learning and memory
Tracy L. Bale, PhD Examine
the effects of stress sensitivity on the development and treatment of
depression. Determine the molecular mechanisms by which stress factors
influence appetite and metabolism. Examine the effects of maternal stress-sensitivity
on fetal development and long-term physiological and behavioral responses.
Sheryl G. Beck, PhD Neurocircuitry
underlying stress and stress related pathology such as depression and
anxiety; whole cell electrophysiology with anatomy, behavior and molecular
analysis, serotonin neurotransmitter system; stress and sex hormones
Julie Blendy, PhD Molecular
basis of drug abuse
Edward S. Brodkin, MD Dept of Psychiatry: Neurobiology of social behaviors, including aggressive and affiliative behaviors, studied using genetic analysis in mouse model systems. Neurobiology and genetics of autism spectrum disorders
Maja Bucan, PhD Genetic dissection of complex behaviors in mice; Functional genomics
Anjan Chatterjee, MD
The cognitive neuroscience of spatial attention and representation,
the neural basis of language, and the relationship of space and language
David F. Dinges, PhD Control of neurobehavioral functions by sleep and circadian processes; neuroendocrine and neuroimmune functions; sleep disorders
Richard L. Doty, PhD Olfaction; neuro-psychopharmacology; dementia-related diseases; chemosensory psychophysics
Martha J. Farah, PhD Neural bases of vision and visual cognition in humans
Nabil H. Farhat, PhD The focus of my research is in Corticonics where I am applying concepts and tools from nonlinear dynamics, bifurcation theory, self-organized criticality, complexity, and chaos to the modeling and study of the cortex. In corticonics (echoing electronics) I am concerned with developing a dynamical approach to understanding the cortex and its collective codes for information processing.
Thomas N. Ferraro, PhD Genetic influences in complex traits and behaviors
Lori Flanagan-Cato, PhD The cellular actions of steroid hormones to alter motivated behaviors
Steven J. Fluharty, PhD Regulation of neuropeptide receptor gene expression and signal transduction in cultured neuronal cells and behaving animals
Mark I. Friedman, PhD Metabolic control of feeding behavior; overeating and obesity
Harvey J. Grill, PhD Neural control of nutrient intake; gastrointestinal physiology; pharmacology of intake and gastrointestinal function
Murray Grossman, MD/EdD Evaluating the cognitive and physiological basis for language and communicative processing in humans
Ruben C. Gur, PhD Human neuropsychology, emotion and cognitive processes, integration of neurobehavioral data with neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic data on regional brain function in healthy, neurologic and psychiatric populations; understanding sex differences in health and disease from a neurodevelopmental perspective
Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular and cellular basis of anesthetic induced loss of consciousness Peter S. Klein, MD, PhD Mechanism of lithium action in behavior and development, Wnt signaling in vertebrate embryogenesis and neuronal signal transduction
Kyunghee Koh, PhD Molecular genetics of sleep and circadian rhythms in Drosophila.
Leszek K. Kubin, PhD
Respiratory, sleep and metabolic disorders associated with the obstructive
sleep apnea syndrome
Caryn Lerman, PhD Psychiatry; Bio-behavioral basis of nicotine dependence and related phenotypes
Irwin Lucki, Ph.D. (1) Behavioral pharmacology; (2) Mechanism of action of antidepressant and antianxiety medications; (3) Stress neurobiology and psychiatric disorders
Richard R. Miselis VMD/PhD Neuroanatomy; visceral neuraxis; ingestive behaviors; homeostasis
Adrian R. Morrison DVM/PhD Neural control of sleep and wakefulness
Kazuko Nishikura, PhD Molecular mechanisms and biological significance of A-to-I RNA editing
Allan I. Pack, MD/PhD Neural control of respiration; effect of sleep on neural control of respiration, sleep apnea syndrome
Laura Peoples, PhD Behavioral pharmacology, neuropharmacology; electrophysiological recordings in freely-moving animals.
Robert Rescorla, PhD Behavioral study of elementary learning processes, especially Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental training
Teresa Reyes, PhD Central nervous system circuitry controlling food intake and metabolism; illness and infection associated anorexia and cachexia; development of obesity and metabolic syndrome in response to in utero programming (maternal and fetal undernutrition, stress or infection)
Virginia M. Richards, PhD Auditory perception; decision processes
Alan C. Rosenquist, PhD Anatomy and physiology of the visual system
Richard J. Ross, MD/PhD Neuropharmacology of sleep; basic sleep mechanisms; clinical sleep disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder; depression
Paul Rozin, PhD Nature and cultural evolution of disgust; nature and origin of human food preferences; interaction of culture, biology and human experience, especially in the area of cuisine; the acquisition of culture and values; assessment of risk by laymen; magical thinking, especially about contagion, ethnopolitical conflict
Marc Schmidt, PhD Encoding
of complex motor behaviors; auditory/motor integration; neural basis
of vocal learning
Amita Sehgal, PhD Genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in Drosophila
Saul Sternberg, PhD Human experimental and mathematical psychology
Albert J. Stunkard, MD Genetic, psychological, therapeutic and developmental studies of human obesity and eating disorders
Steven A. Thomas, MD/PhD The roles of neurotransmission in development, neurophysiology and ultimately behavior
Sharon L. Thompson-Schill, PhD Neural bases of memory and language in humans
Rita J. Valentino, Ph.D. Department of Pediatrics: Neurobiology of stress and mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric disorders; central control of visceral functions
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