PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Jackson Orville, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this Minority Post-Doctoral Research and Training Fellowship in the Social and Behavioral Sciences is to employ a combination of computational modeling and functional neuroimaging to explore questions regarding the neural bases of human episodic memory. Specifically, the project will investigate the relationship between activity within biologically based computational models and the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal within functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). It will also use fMRI to test predictions generated by a biologically based computational model regarding differential hippocampal and medial temporal lobe cortex function in episodic memory. In addition, it will explore interactions between computational models of prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe, again employing fMRI to test predictions regarding the role of these regions in both episodic memory and cognitive tasks dependent upon prefrontal cortical function. The synthesis of functional neuroimaging and computational modeling methods promises significant advantages over employing either method independently. Biologically based computational models can provide a framework for understanding the processes supported by a particular brain region and can be used to generate predictions for neuroimaging studies. Conversely, functional neuroimaging studies can aid in determining the plausibility of computational models, and provide suggestions for further constraints upon the model.s functioning. Such a methodological interaction will ultimately result in important advances in understanding how cognitive processes arise from brain systems. The Fellow will receive his two year research and training experience under the mentorship of Dr. John Gabrieli, Department of Psychology, Stanford University.