Imaging supra- versus sub-threshold perception: Towards a neural 'signature' of conscious experience. This is the first study to combine spatial and temporal brain measures to test the prediction that 'conscious' (versus 'unconscious') emotion perception is distinguished by responses in cortical brain regions, and by later peaks in integrative brain activity. Two additional innovative features include the simultaneous measurement of arousal (as an independent index of responses to emotion, regar ....Imaging supra- versus sub-threshold perception: Towards a neural 'signature' of conscious experience. This is the first study to combine spatial and temporal brain measures to test the prediction that 'conscious' (versus 'unconscious') emotion perception is distinguished by responses in cortical brain regions, and by later peaks in integrative brain activity. Two additional innovative features include the simultaneous measurement of arousal (as an independent index of responses to emotion, regardless of conscious awareness), and the use of psychophysical methods to establish objective thresholds for 'unconscious' and 'conscious' perception. Elucidating the neural basis of conscious emotion perception is important to understanding the mechanisms of unique human experience, and disorders of stress and anxiety.Read moreRead less
Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eve ....Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eventually being able to better control the anaesthetized state in human and animal subjects. By understanding general anaesthesia across multiple levels of brain function, we will at the same time be answering fundamental questions pertaining to mechanisms of perception and awareness. Read moreRead less
Electrophysiological correlates of verbal and visuospatial working memory. Successful interaction with the world is dependent on "working memory". This memory system holds things in mind, while relating them to the past and planning for the future. A carefully controlled task, presented on a computer screen, systematically increases the number of items to be kept in mind. Accuracy and speed of matching the items are measured. The results will contribute to a theory of what processes are used ....Electrophysiological correlates of verbal and visuospatial working memory. Successful interaction with the world is dependent on "working memory". This memory system holds things in mind, while relating them to the past and planning for the future. A carefully controlled task, presented on a computer screen, systematically increases the number of items to be kept in mind. Accuracy and speed of matching the items are measured. The results will contribute to a theory of what processes are used in working memory and how the human brain manages these processes.Read moreRead less
The contribution of early sensory cortex to working memory. This project examines how initial sensory areas of cerebral cortex contribute to working memory. We expect to find that the memory of a stimulus involves multiple representations held for different durations by different cortical areas. We will examine how these memorial representations are related to the known neuronal representations that are supported by each sensory cortical area. These findings will advance our understanding of how ....The contribution of early sensory cortex to working memory. This project examines how initial sensory areas of cerebral cortex contribute to working memory. We expect to find that the memory of a stimulus involves multiple representations held for different durations by different cortical areas. We will examine how these memorial representations are related to the known neuronal representations that are supported by each sensory cortical area. These findings will advance our understanding of how perceptual memories are organised and represented in the brain. They will also challenge the traditional view that segregates memory from perception by showing that certain memories are inseparable from the sensory structures mediating their content.Read moreRead less
Using Converging Methodologies to Understand Episodic and Semantic Memory. The use of four converging methodologies and a new objective measure of implicit/explicit memory will produce a more fundamental understanding of the relationship between pre-existing and episodic memories. The results will be relevant to the current debate over repressed and false memories. The research will also provide more stringent tests of techniques and methods that are having a large impact in applied research ....Using Converging Methodologies to Understand Episodic and Semantic Memory. The use of four converging methodologies and a new objective measure of implicit/explicit memory will produce a more fundamental understanding of the relationship between pre-existing and episodic memories. The results will be relevant to the current debate over repressed and false memories. The research will also provide more stringent tests of techniques and methods that are having a large impact in applied research on aging, drug states etc.Read moreRead less