Derek Nee
Interest
Our lab examines how behavior is guided by internal representations to perform goal-directed action. This requires understanding cognitive control, which promotes goal-relevant processing over habitual tendencies, and working memory, which sustains and transforms information that is no longer available to the senses. We study humans using functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), experimental psychology, and combinations thereof.
Current Research
In the domain of cognitive control, our current focus is on detailing the dynamic interactions among areas of the prefrontal cortex and sub-cortex that support goal-directed cognition. Using fMRI, we construct models of directed regional influences during situations requiring cognitive control. These models are then tested using TMS to observe predicted consequences of neural perturbation on brain networks and behavior. In the domain of working memory, we are presently examining the neural mechanisms underlying prioritizing information in mind (e.g. focusing on one thing vs. holding something in mind for later). This involves fitting models of neural representation to multi-variate fMRI data. We are also interested in how the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex promote binding of short-term information to support the construction of novel associations for higher-level cognition.