Research
My research integrates behavioral testing, neural recordings, and computational modeling to understand how cognitive functions develop and operate across the lifespan. I focus on the neural mechanisms underlying working memory and executive functions, with applications in clinical neuroscience.
Research Areas
Cognitive Development
Understanding how working memory and executive functions mature during adolescence using cross-species models.
Neural Circuits
Investigating prefrontal cortex circuitry and its role in cognitive function through electrophysiology and neuroimaging.
Computational Modeling
Developing machine learning models to predict cognitive performance from neural activity and brain structure.
Translational Neuroscience
Bridging findings from animal models to human clinical applications in neurosurgery and neuropsychiatry.
Research Projects
Brain Structure and Activity Predicting Cognitive Maturation in Adolescence
This multilevel longitudinal study examined monkey adolescent neurocognitive development, investigating how brain structural changes affect neuronal activity that determines cognitive performance. The developmental trajectory of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex remarkably predicted working memory improvements during adolescence.
White Matter Microstructure and Working Memory of Macaques in Adolescence
This study examines the relationship between white matter development and working memory improvement during adolescent maturation in macaque monkeys. Using longitudinal neuroimaging and behavioral testing, researchers tracked changes in white matter microstructure alongside cognitive performance.
Brain Charts for the Rhesus Macaque Lifespan
This study created normative growth charts for brain structure across the rhesus macaque lifespan using 1,522 MRI scans from 1,024 macaques aggregated from the PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) and other sources.
Key Contributions:
- Mapped non-linear developmental trajectories for global and regional brain changes
- Provided normative charts with centile scores revealing key developmental milestones
- Created interactive open resource supporting cross-species comparisons for translational neuroscience
Laminar Pattern of Adolescent Development Changes in Working Memory
This study investigated the laminar distribution of neurophysiological changes during adolescent development in working memory, analyzing neurophysiological recordings from young and adult monkeys at different cortical depths.
Key Discoveries:
- Superficial layers exhibited increased baseline firing rate in the adult stage
- Substantial increases in delay period activity occurred in the middle layers after adolescence
- Improved discriminability of stimulus location was most evident in deeper layers
Parallel Signatures of Cognitive Maturation in Primate Antisaccade Performance
This study investigated cognitive development using the antisaccade task, where monkeys must resist looking toward a bright stimulus and instead look away. Researchers evaluated behavioral performance and recorded prefrontal cortex neural activity before and after puberty-to-adulthood transition.
Emergence of Prefrontal Neuron Maturation Properties by Training RNNs
Methodologies & Techniques
Neuroimaging
fMRI, DTI, structural MRI analysis using AFNI, FreeSurfer, and custom pipelines
Electrophysiology
Single-unit recordings, multicontact probes, intracranial EEG in human patients
Behavioral Testing
Cognitive tasks, eye-tracking, psychophysics using custom experimental designs
Machine Learning
Predictive modeling, dimensionality reduction, neural network analysis