Prefrontal cortex and control of human behavior
The Knight laboratory focuses on the role of prefrontal cortex in controlling human behavior. Damage to the prefrontal cortex from neurological or developmental disorders results in profound alterations in cognitive processes such as attention and working memory as well as social and emotional processes needed to interact in a appropriate interpersonal manner. His laboratory is interested in the neural mechanisms by which frontal cortex controls distributed neuronal ensembles in other brain regions critical for both cognitive as well as social behavior. The laboratory employs neuropsychological, electrophysiological, fMRI and neuroanatomical techniques to study prefrontal function in neurological patients with damage in subregions of prefrontal cortex. There is a particular emphasis on the neural basis of visual attention and how prefrontal cortex provides top-down control of extrastiate cortex during visual attention and working memory. The laboratory also records directly from the exposed human frontal cortex during surgical procedures in an effort to obtain information on the precise neural coding underlying human frontal control of cognitive processing. Some broad areas under current investigation include: What is the timing and nature of the neural coding of interactions between prefrontal cortex and posterior regions engaged during attention and memory performance? How does the aging process alter prefrontal function? How do different subregions of prefrontal cortex contribute to human behavior? How are visual and auditory processes re-organized after neurological insults such as stroke or traumatic brain injury? These research projects will offer BCSDP trainees opportunities to carry out patient-based studies in the area of visual perception, attention and memory.
