My program of research is focused on understanding the interplay among cognition, emotion, and brain function to better understand the deficits in behavior and cognition found in a range of populations. These include psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. There are several major themes guiding my work. One theme has been the contribution that cognitive control deficits make to memory, thought and language disturbances in schizophrenia. By cognitive control I mean the collection of processes involved in guiding behavior in accordance with internal as well as external goals. A second theme has been to determine the neurobiological mechanisms (i.e., prefrontal cortex and dopamine deficits) that may underlie such cognitive control deficits. A third focus is the search to understand the relationship between cognitive and emotional deficits in disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. In trying to address these issues, my work has involved both basic research designed to understand how cognitive and emotional systems normally work and clinical research focused on how and why cognitive and emotional processing can go awry.

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