Research

The neural bases of (written) language recovery and learning
  • Identifying the neural substrates that support recovery of written language functions in individuals with post-stroke dysgraphia and dysgraphia associated with primary progressive aphasia
  • Investigating the  neural mechanisms that support recovery.   We are investigating this at multiple scales: macro, meso and micro (voxel to voxel), examining changes in local aspects of neural representations as well as inter-module and whole-brain connectivity.
  • Orthographic learning: Investigating the neural substrates involved in the  normal learning of word spellings.
  • Investigating both the functional and structural connectivity networks that support written language processing, learning and recovery.
Optimizing dysgraphia treatment
  • Applying principles of learning theory to maximize the benefits of rehabilitation in acquired dysgraphia.
  • Identifying pre-treatment predictors of responsiveness to dysgraphia treatment
Written language: processes and representations
  • The internal structure and content of orthographic representations: What do we know when we know the spellings of words?
  • Using  patterns of errors in acquired dysgraphia as well as neural data (multi-voxel fMRI approaches) to investigate  the nature and content of orthographic representations
  • Understanding the functional architecture of reading and spelling: The operations of  long term and working memory components of reading and spelling, their neural instantiations and their relationships to other language and cognitive systems
Spoken Language: Processes and representations
  • Elucidating the processes involved in going from a thought/concept to speech production.
  • Identifying the neural substrates of lexical processes involved in spoken word comprehension and production.
  • Understanding the processing and representational relationships between written and spoken language in the literate mind/brain.  To what extent are processes shared between spoken and written language (e.g, working memory)?  To what extent is written language autonomous from spoken language?
Representation and plasticity in the somatosensory system
  • The reorganization of somatosensory perceptions subsequent to neural injury or abnormal development
  • Somatosensory frames of reference
  • Cross-modal attention: integration and competition across sensory modalities
Cupcake orthotactics
Cupcake orthotactics