My research falls in the domain of cognitive neuroscience. I study how we hold on to a few items in working memory and use them for immediate task demands. My lab investigates what factors matter in getting information into working memory, how we maintain and manipulate information, and how well we retrieve it. For example, we are currently investigating the consequences of familiar and unfamiliar distractor items on older adults’ working memory performance. We use a range of experimental techniques in human participants, some with brain lesions. These include fMRI, fNIRS, tDCS/tACS, and HD-EEG.
Jefferson Kinney
Dr. Jeff Kinney’s research area is behavioral neuroscience with an emphasis in two general areas; the neurobiology of learning & memory and the biological basis of several neurological/psychological disorders. Research projects in Dr. Kinney’s laboratory focus on the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms involved in various types of associative/spatial learning with particular emphasis on glutamate, GABA, and a few neuropeptides. Additional research projects focus on animal models of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and mood disorders. The investigation of these disorders incorporates transgenic models and identifying potential therapeutic targets. The laboratory utilizes psychopharmacological, behavioral genetic, and molecular biology techniques to address experimental questions. Dr. Kinney is open to working with graduate students on other related topics in behavioral neuroscience.