Education & Training

• Ph.D., Brown University 1982

Overview

Research interests include the neuroanatomical and neuropharmacological basis of timing and time perception in the seconds-to-minutes range. This work relates to the striatal beat-frequency theory of interval timing as well as mode-control models of temporal integration and attentional time-sharing in humans and other animals. Current work focuses on the use of genomic and ensemble-recording techniques designed to identify the basic properties of interval timing and decision making in cortical-striatal circuits. Additional work utilizes neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG & fMRI) to examine temporal processing deficits in selected clinical populations. Another major focus for our research uses animal models to study developmental periods of dietary choline sensitivity that provide an ontogenetic mechanism for regulating memory capacity and precision in adulthood. This work includes the study of prenatal choline effects on sleep-dependent memory consolidation processes in adult rats and mice as well as inoculation against age-related impairments in spatial and temporal cognition.

Expertise

Neuroanatomical and neuropharmacological basis of timing and time perception