Major advance in understanding the microcircuitry of cognition
Tamara Swaab, PhD
Associate Professor, Center for Mind and Brain
Office: Young Hall, Room 268J
Telephone: 530-752-4207
Office: Young Hall, Room 268J
Telephone: 530-752-4207
| Email: | swaab | @ | ucdavis.edu |
In my laboratory we are interested in the cognitive and neural correlates of language comprehension and representation of linguistic information. Our research can be described broadly as the attempt to achieve three related goals: (1), to study when different types of contextual information (syntax, thematic information, semantic information, discourse information) are integrated in real time; (2) the role of cognitive control in these integration processes during language comprehension; (3) to identify if and how the perisylvian language network and the dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex (important for the controlled maintenance of context relevant information) interact during language comprehension. To investigate this we use electrophysiological methods to study the brains' electrical activity as it is engaged in language processing. In addition, we have used functional imaging (fMRI), to identify which areas of the brain are important for component processes and representation of language information. We further use an individual differences approach to relate performance on language tasks to those on cognitive control tasks. Finally, we test patients with MRI circumscribed lesions with and without aphasia to further constrain the neural language circuit and test schizophrenia patients with known deficits in cognitive control to assess how that influences their language function.
- Laboratory for the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language — by Steven J. Luck — last modified 2010-10-30 11:27 AM
- Curriculum Vitae for Tamara Swaab — by Tamara Swaab — last modified 2010-11-03 02:06 PM
- Publications — by Annie He — last modified 2012-09-07 08:54 AM