Multiple neuropsychiatric disorders are characterized by deficits in cognition. The primary focus of my research is to understand the neurophsyiological basis of cognition and explore potential procognitive treatment vectors for disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction. My lab performs electrophysiological recordings in areas of the brain known to perform computations necessary for various forms of cognition such as working memory and attention. I am especially interested in how the neurotransmitter dopamine influences interactions amongst large neural populations. Understanding how dopamine shapes the population dynamic is crucial to our understanding of cognition and how dopamine-mediated signaling may be altered in neuropsychiatric illness.
