Sumbleen Ali, Human Development and Family Studies

Current Research: I plan to investigate the neurobiology of interpersonal relationships looking at the brain’s functioning using fMRI. The research stems from Panksepp’s (1998) argument that brain mechanisms of distress in interpersonal relationships evolved from pain mechanisms of the brain. His argument was supported by Eisenberger (2003) who showed social rejection is painful and not a mere metaphor. She demonstrated an overlap in the neural circuitry involved in processing pain following both social rejection and physical pain. Currently, it is unknown if adults’ remembrances of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood may have piggybacked onto the threshold of the physical-pain system as well as onto sensitivity to social rejection in adulthood.

Given this void in information, my research proposes to investigate if differences exist in the neural correlates of social pain among young adults who remember having been rejected vs accepted (loved) by their parents in childhood. Results of this research will provide important information about the extent to which remembered childhood rejection influences brain functioning. Also adults who remember having been rejected as children tend to be more sensitive to possible interpersonal rejection than those who remember having been accepted. This research will also examine the extent to which rejection sensitivity is associated with brain functioning. The interdisciplinary nature of this research involves bridging family science and neurobiology.

Lauren Bryant, Psychology

Current Research: My dissertation focuses on the development of executive function (EF; higher-order processes that govern cognition and behavior) during early childhood. EFs are linked to numerous optimal outcomes, including school readiness and academic achievement. Existing research suggests that EFs with/without motivational components (whether children receive a reward based on performance) have different childhood outcomes and rely on different neural pathways. However, due to confounds in the existing methodology, it is not possible distinguish the effects of motivation and different task demands (e.g., language) on children's EF and/or associated outcomes. Furthermore, this work has largely ignored temperament (biologically-based individual differences in self-regulation), which varies with children's approach behaviors and sensitivity to reward. To better understand environmental and biological factors that underlie variations in child EF, I will investigate associations between EF, temperament, and reward by administering two comparable versions of the same Stroop-like task (i.e., with and without performance-contingent reward) and parent-report temperament measures. These methods will be drawn from the existing adult and animal literature on associations between reward, cognition, and behavior. Thus, my study will integrate developmental, cognitive, and emotional/motivational approaches to characterize associations between EF, motivation, and temperament with improved methodology.

Sarah Camera, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Current Research:Currently, we are in the manuscript preparation stage of this project. While maintaining a full AuD course load and teaching, I've been writing a paper regarding the impact of noise exposure on noise tolerance, which will be submitted for review over winter break. I also have a co-authored paper in review currently. Next Spring, I will be finishing my AuD requirements and therefore not have much time to devote to research, but will be presenting at the American Academy of Audiology conference and meeting regularly with my advisor to review more literature and further develop ideas for the proposed research below. I hope to formalize it with support from the IBACS summer fellowship, begin pilot data collection in Fall 2018, and submit my grant application for the Dec. 8 winter deadline. Because I am concurrently pursuing an AuD and PhD, Fall 2018 is the first semester that I can fully focus my efforts on research, though I will be a 4th year grad student. While working on clinical doctorate requirements has slowed my research progress, I strongly believe that my audiology background allows me a valuable perspective on the intersection of clinical practice and basic hearing research that will strengthen my research with relevant and informative questions that will bridge these two professional worlds. Because my proposed project focuses on subclinical changes, I also may consider my research questions in terms of public health and obtain training in that discipline.

Kirsty Coulter, Psychology

Current Research: My interests lie in considering interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and improving outcomes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While intervention work primarily focuses on the behavioral presentation of ASD, considering the mechanisms underlying that behavior may help us to identify subgroups within ASD and provide more individualized treatment.

Ben De Bari, Psychology

Current Research:I am continuing my work with the Physical Intelligence Lab, primarily furthering the investigation of a chemical dissipative system. I am working to understand the constraints and conditions leading to self-organization phenomena, and consequent behavioral modes, of a camphor-water system. In addition to this research project, I intend to build on the successes in utilizing the electrodynamic non-equilibrium system, as pioneered by James Dixon and Bruce Kay. In particular, I would like to continue the line of research investigating learning phenomena in non-equilibrium systems. These projects require utilization of ideas from thermodynamics, chemistry, biology, and psychology, integrating them into a non-traditional interdisciplinary methodology.

Zak Ekves, Psychology

Current Research: My current research plan is focused on further exploring the role of neural regions associated with episodic memory in the processing of events. My previous analyses have shown that when processing sentences that introduce a new object into the discourse ("He will chop the onion and then weigh another onion"), there is increased connectivity between regions in the left inferior frontal gyrus and hippocampus, compared to sentences that refer back to previously instantiated objects ("He will chop the onion and then weigh the onion"). I intend to conduct an equivalent experiment in the visual domain. This project will be relevant to two related bodies of literature. First, it’s suggested that the hippocampus is functionally divided along the anterior-posterior axis, such that anterior portions are biased towards more global, abstract representation while posterior regions are biased towards local representation (e.g. Poppenk et al., 2013). I predict that processing in language will recruit more anterior portions of the hippocampus (related to more abstract representation), while visual processing will recruit more posterior portions (related to more specified, fine-grained, local representation). Second, by comparing neural activation and connectivity across analogous visual and language event processing tasks, I will be able to tease apart which neural responses are correlates of event cognition proper, as opposed those in one particular domain.

Martin Flament-Fultot, Psychology

Current Research: One of the main areas of research in the philosophy of mind is intentionality. Current work in tensegrity robotics is partially addressing this topic by studying goal-directed locomotion. But intentionality is best manifested when systems entertain more than one goal and must flexibly accommodate their priorities. This happens in supra postural tasks, where an individual must do something, e.g. with their hands, while keeping their upright posture in balance. Limb movements alter the overall balance, but the balance must support the limb movements. My research focuses on embedding participants in force fields under supra postural tasks in order to analyze the kinematics of how participants control their entire posture while keeping their center of mass over their base of support. Degrees of freedom are expected to be organized by soft assembled patterns of mutual constraint. To assess the nature of these neuro-muscular soft assemblies, I am also further developing the virtual tensegrity model by designing neural networks with the help of genetic algorithms. The purpose of genetic algorithms is to efficiently explore the parameter space (e.g. the coupling matrix) of the network so as to reproduce dynamics equivalent to those observed in humans during postural tasks (e.g. ankle to hip strategy transitions for balance). Genetic algorithms can also help extract non-obvious, higher-order information from the state of the mechanical system that could be exploited efficiently.

Pam Fuhrmeister, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Current Research: My current and upcoming work builds on themes from my previous work and additionally seeks to determine some of the sources of individual variability that is so frequently observed in phonetic learning studies. One study in progress looks at a wider age range of individuals in phonetic learning, including children (10-17 years). In this study, we want to explore critical period effects in perceptual learning of speech sounds and whether the same skills that facilitate speech sound learning in adulthood also predict successful learning in children. This project draws from developmental psychology and clinical speech literature, as some of the measures we are using have been implicated in language and reading disorders. In an upcoming project, we will establish whether structural brain differences (using voxel-based morphometry) and individual differences in structural connectivity (using DTI) predict overnight improvement in phonetic learning or differences in how native-language speech sounds are perceived (e.g., how “categorical” an individual’s perception is). Because previous work found differences in brain morphology in expert phoneticians, we expect that similar differences may also explain the vast individual variability typically observed in phonetic learning studies. As described in the proposed research section, my dissertation will determine the neural bases of generalization in phonetic learning using fMRI and will then validate this by testing people with aphasia.

Kyra Krass, Psychology

Current Research: I am currently investigating which object states are activated in the brain when hearing various events containing object state change. I have run the behavioral portion of an fMRI study. We administer an associative learning task to our participants over two days, and on day three, they perform a priming task. Our goal is to have participants learn pairs of objects states with faces and houses. For example, they would learn that a chopped onion is associated with faces and an intact onion is associated with houses. When placed in the scanner, we hope to distinguish between the object states activated given that they are now paired with distinct brain areas. Participants will hear sentences in three different conditions: 1) The woman will weigh the onion. 2) The woman will chop the onion. 3) The woman will weigh the chopped onion. We predict that individuals will activate an intact onion when hearing weigh, an intact and chopped onion when hearing chop, and a chopped onion when hearing weigh the chopped onion. My second line of research I will submit for a grant. I am interested in determining what individual difference measures can predict performance in a visual world task. We will use tasks that measure executive functioning (EF), and we will test monolingual and bilingual individuals to see if EF or second language knowledge are measures that can account for differences in performance on a visual world task. This research merges linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience.

Timothy McKay, Human Development and Family Studies

Current Research: I am currently working under the supervision of Dr. Ryan Watson in exploring topics relevant to minority stress in LGBTQ populations. Specifically, I am studying the impact of gender minority stress in transgender and gender nonconforming individuals (TGNC) as it relates to their cognitive processes and mental health. Specifically, I will be examining rates of depression and substance use in reference to cognition (i.e., decision-making) and degree of gender identity disclosure to family and friends in TGNC populations. Recently, I was accepted to present a poster with Dr. Watson at the American Educational Research Association Conference in April, 2018. I will be presenting trends and disparities in school-based mental health behavior between LGBT and heterosexual student populations in British Columbia, CA. The data examined within our poster presentation is also referenced in a paper that I recently co-authored with Dr. Watson titled: Mental health issues among lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents: Changing inequalities in Canada, which is currently under review for publication in a leading LGBTQ-focused journal. I am also a funded research assistant on a national LGBTQ Teen Youth Study where I am responsible for managing, analyzing, and tracking data use and ongoing manuscripts. The findings from my work on the LGBTQ teen youth study, along with supervision and collaboration with Dr. Watson, have been instrumental in preparing me for this fellowship.

Natali Naveh, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Current Research: The formation of spines on neuronal dendrites in early development has been linked to learning and memory retention. In the Cux2-null neurons, Xlr3b and Xlr4b were found to be upregulated and, upon introduction of an Xlr shRNA, the phenotype was rescued. In other cell types, Satb1 and Xlr3 were observed to co-localize. This may suggest a role for Xlr3b to act with Satb1 in a Cux2-regulated pathway to mediate the regulation of dendrite spine growth. This phenotype, or Xlr3’s function may contribute to behavioral phenotypes related to those observed in TS. Firstly, Golgi Cox staining will be performed to examine dendrite branching in the context of the Xlr3 knock down. Secondly, as TS is accompanied by poor reversal learning and social cognition, the contribution of Xlr3b to mouse behavior, including these phenotypes, will be determined. This will be carried out with the assistance of the University of Connecticut Murine Behavioral Neurogenetics Facility (MBNF) to test for social and repetitive behaviors. Transgenic males and XMO TS females will be tested, as these groups show elevated Xlr3b expression, worse social cognition, and worse reversal learning compared to wild type females. Lastly, as Xlr3b expression is higher in neonates compared to adults, performing RNA-seq on brains from P0 and adult mice will help identify genes with which Xlr3 interacts or for which Xlr3 may affect regulation respectively.

Emma Nguyen, Linguistics

Current Research: The goal of my current research is to leverage P600 satiation to test syntactic theories. My previous research has shown that satiation does not occur when there are multiple violations that are categorically distinct from each other at both a grammatical and sentence processing level. The next step is to test violations that are distinct at a grammatical level, but are similar at the level of sentence processing (both first-pass dynamics and reanalysis). By holding sentence processing properties constant, we can ask how similar violations must be at a grammatical level to induce satiation.

In the next set of experiments, I will systematically manipulate the syntactic similarity of the violations, while holding sentence processing properties as constant as possible. For example, the first experiment will compare two violations that differ at a very fine-grained syntactic level, but share many sentence processing properties (both are island violations, both are embedded questions, both occur at clause boundaries, both involve wh-items, etc.)

(1) Wh-island: *What do you wonder [who read]?
(2) Weather-island: *What do you wonder [whether Mary read]?

In future experiments, we will test violations that differ more substantially at a syntactic level (such as whether islands versus complex noun-phrase islands), until we fully characterize the level of similarity that satiation requires. We can then compare the resulting patterns to specific claims in syntactic theories.

Emily Peters, Psychology

Current Research: My research is interdisciplinary in nature, in that it combines methods in order to answer questions in the fields of neurobiology of language, cognitive science, behavioral neuroscience, and translational clinical research. In addition, findings can translate across research and clinical domains.

My current research at UConn explores the relationship between language processing, social cognition, and social functioning outcomes in schizophrenia. I am investigating the hypothesis that social cognitive deficits develop through a neurologically-based language processing impairment, and that deficits in social cognition lead to social withdrawal and impairment in schizophrenia. My master's thesis project combines a TMS-EEG paradigm with neuropsychological testing to explore both the neurological bases of language processing and functional outcomes associated with impairments. Participants are recruited from a local Intensive Outpatient Program.

This project aims to demonstrate that social functioning and social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are related to impairments in language processing. If language processing impairments in the brain are related to functional outcomes, then it will be important to examine the relatedness of these symptoms through the development of schizophrenia. In addition, a better understanding of impairments in sz may offer new ideas for future interventions, such as targeting language processing as a method of improving social functioning.

Adam Rainear, Communication

Current Research: Most of my current research has examined how humans interact with new communication technologies when risks are communicated through these tools. Our early research indicates that when being provided a risk message, robotic platforms may cause individuals to retain less information and may be no more or less effective than traditional media platforms. Our most recent robot data collection led to a brief presentation at the American Meteorological Society Conference, and a top paper award at the National Communication Association. In the coming months, we plan to further explore the measured variables to understand how involvement, credibility judgements, or feelings of mediated presence may influence outcomes and behavior (among others). Moving forward, I hope to continue to connect both physical and social science by exploring the relationships between using new technology to communicate and understanding how these platforms may influence individual information processing and decision-making. My experience in last summer’s IBACS workshop was the most useful experience of my graduate career, having taken an idea in my head and turning it into an external grant proposal in only 4 months. While the first proposal was not funded, the agency offered me an opportunity to revise the submission, and there are hopes of utilizing this smaller developmental money to springboard the idea into a larger future grant.

Elizabeth Simmons, Psychology

Current Research: I am currently engaged in several studies; below are the ones most germane to the IBACS mission.

Project 1: Hyperlexia. With Drs. Magnuson (Cognitive Psychology), Eigsti (Clinical Psychology), and Grigorenko (Baylor College of Medicine, Genetics) we are evaluating the neural correlates of reading ability in typically developing children and those with ASD with and without hyperlexia (precocious decoding ability). We hypothesize that unusual patterns of cognitive and social development in ASD result, in part, from atypical connectivity between brain areas supporting various functions and reward circuitry. This study uses a combination of neurophysiological methods (fMRI), behavioral methods (eye tracking, clinical assessment) along with collection of genetic information to better understand this complex disorder.

Project 2: The development of fine-grained spoken word recognition. I plan to downward extend my master’s thesis work evaluating spoken word recognition in preschool children to a younger group (infants and toddlers). This will likely require a faculty member from developmental psychology (potentially Drs. Sheya or Suanda) and child language expert (Dr. Rhea Paul, Sacred Heart University, Speech-Language Pathology) in order to ensure our tasks are appropriate for infants and toddlers. We will also begin to investigate how very young children learn words that compete, phonologically and semantically, using an artificial lexicon task and eye tracking.

Charles Wasserman, Psychology

Current Research: Currently, I have just completed an EEG study looking a beat-perception in complex rhythms (this will be my Masters thesis work). This work uses 32 channel EEG (and additional EMG) along with behavioral tasks in order to look at behavioral and electrophysiological responses to complex musical rhythms. It is possible to create a rhythm with no spectral energy at the pulse frequency by manipulating the number of events that occur anti-phase (180°) versus in-phase (0°) with the basic rhythmic cycle. Dynamical analysis predicts neural oscillation will emerge at such a “missing” pulse frequency. The current experiment utilized four different rhythms of varying complexity (1 simple, 2 complex, and 1 random). Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the Hilbert envelope showed energy at the repetition frequency (2Hz) for the simple rhythm, but no spectral energy at the missing pulse frequency (2Hz) for the complex rhythms. EEG responses to these stimuli were recorded to look for the neural oscillations and power modulations at the missing pulse frequency predicted by dynamical analysis. We have found evidence of a 2Hz response in the EEG to missing pulse rhythms. These data support the theory that rhythmic synchrony occurs as the result of an emergent population oscillation that entrains at this particular frequency.

Emily Wyckoff, Psychology

Current Research: I am developing manuscripts for my thesis and research previously presented at conferences and am on target to submit several manuscripts within the next six months on topics related to accuracy of self-reported weight, the home environment (i.e. chaos and foods in the home), weight suppression as a predictor of weight loss treatment outcomes, and qualitative research on diabetes management. Additionally, as a graduate research assistant at Yale University, in addition to clinical treatment and assessment of patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED), I am collaborating with Dr. Carlos Grillo (Psychiatry) and colleagues on a manuscript examining clinical characteristics of patients with BED. I am also currently a graduate assistant for a NIH funded weight loss maintenance trial (PI Tricia Leahey, Allied Health Sciences) and am spearheading development of intervention content for an online weight loss program. With my advisor (Amy Gorin), I am working to obtain seed funding to add measures to the weight loss maintenance trial which would further examine the influence of executive functioning and the home environment on weight loss maintenance and allow us to test Temporal Self-Regulation Theory in the context of weight loss maintenance. The proposed research below builds on research proposals for which I received the APAGS/ Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship, the Christine N. Witzel Award, and honorable mention for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Xiao Yang, Psychology

Current Research: Currently, I am working on applying graph theory on resting state MRI data analysis. Specifically, I am utilizing hierarchical clustering algorithm (average linkage method) for resting MRI data analysis to study the functional connectivity changes in reading network and language network in aphasia patients after treatment. Extending upon my machine learning project, I am also using a machine learning algorithm called multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to identify brain regions that can be used as a biomarker to differentiate optimal and less effective speech treatment.