Top-down modulation: the crossroads of perception, attention and memory

Research in our laboratory focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms that serve at the crossroads of perception, memory and attention, specifically exploring how brain region interactions underlie these abilities. To accomplish this, we study top-down modulation, the process by which we enhance neural activity associated with relevant information and suppress activity for irrelevant information, thus establishing a neural basis for all higher-order cognitive operations. We also study alterations in top-down modulation that occur with normal aging. Our experiments are performed on human participants, using a multimodal approach that integrates functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG).

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: HVEI
• Authors: Adam Gazzaley
• Keywords: Brain Region Interactions, Emerging Technology, HVEI 2010, Neural Mechanisms, Top-down Modulation