Research

Neural Oscillations and Oscillation Phase

Brains as complex as ours face a challenge: How to organise the processing of multiple different information streams so they don’t get confused, despite being processed simultaneously in the same or very similar neural hardware. One way brains seem to overcome this problem is by using rhythmic patterns of brain activity to coordinate which information is being processed at any given moment. This rhythmic brain activity, also known as neural oscillations, is the current focus of my research. I am interested in what frequencies of neural oscillation (e.g., 10 Hz alpha oscillations vs 4 Hz theta oscillations) are associated with different types of cognition, and in what ways. In particular, my current work is focussed on the phase of neural oscillations (whether the wave is at a peak or a trough or somewhere in between) in two particular areas. Firstly, examining how oscillation phase before a stimulus is presented predicts how that stimulus will be processed. And secondly, examining how stimuli and other task requirements influence the phase of subsequent neural oscillations by causing the oscillation to undergo a phase reset.

Attention and Perception

Flexibility in what information is given processing preference at any given moment is key to brains being the versatile, adaptable machines they are. This flexibility is often termed ‘attention,’ is influenced in any given moment by a host of internal variables including our goals, habits, expectations and predictions, as well as the environment. How the brain weighs up this information in different contexts to maintain efficient and flexible processing is a core interest in my work. This interest encompasses both the factors that influence attention (goals, learning, etc.) and the neural signals that may be involved in implementing attentional biases.

Other interests

The above listed topics encompass the majority of my work, but in conducting this work we employ a range of different methods including machine-learning classification, psychophysics, cognitive modelling, eye-tracking, simulation, etc. We also touch on a range of different cognitive domains, employing whatever paradigm is needed to answer the current question. Thus, I have a fairly diverse array of scientific interests and am always happy to discuss collaborations outside my areas of focus.