Research - Current Projects

·        ADHD

§         A study of psychostimulant medication in AD/HD adolescents and adults using fMRI, EEG, and neuropsychological assessment.

§         Different impulsivity phenotypes in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a combined fMRI and genetic inquiry.

§         Neurocognitive Correlates of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, a 5-year NIMH funded study of AD/HD and Conduct Disorder using fMRI, EEG, and neuropsychological assessment.

 

·        Conduct Disorder

§         There are ongoing studies of disruptive behavior disorders, primarily comparing AD/HD and Conduct Disorder using a variety of neuroscience methods. This project includes an explicit comparison of CD subtypes, including seeking neural correlates of a “Callous CD” subtype of conduct disorder suggested by study of adult psychopathy.

 

·        Depression

§         Measuring Suicidality in Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder Using fMRI.

§         Emotion and Reward/Punishment Processing in Adolescents with MDD

§         Motivational Hyper-Reactivity as a Risk for Adolescent Onset MDD

·        Neurocognitive Development

§         There is a strong focus in the lab on projects that will ultimately help us better understand neural differences between younger and older groups, particularly neural development that occurs after puberty into early adult years. Numerous studies of brain structure, brain function, and cognitive test performance show developmental changes throughout this critical period of transition between childhood and adulthood. However, there is insufficient understanding of how changes in cognition and behavioral control relate to these neurobiological factors.
 

§         Multimodal Data Fusion is the process of combining data obtained from different modalities (e.g., fMRI and EEG) and integrating them in the same analytic framework. Such analyses are extremely powerful ways to maximize the usefulness of obtained datsets, as each research methodology carries its own set of strengths and limitations. By capitalizing on the qualitatively different types of information provided by each modality, it is possible to approach old questions in new ways.