|
My current research interests lie in the fields of experimental
psychology and brain research. My earlier work has also stimulated an
interest in human performance and learning, as well as in mathematical models
of visual perception and decision making (signal detection theory or decision
theory). My current work aims to test the ability of humans to adapt their response
strategies in an uncertain environment (1;2) while they carry a difficult
visual discrimination task.
To this end, I make use
of various research techniques (derived from psychology, vision research and
neuroimaging) to obtain a detailed and quantitative analysis of the brain
mechanisms involved in perception, learning and decision making. A great deal
of effort in modern psychology has been devoted to understand the mechanisms
related to observed improvements in performance (i.e. reduction of errors in
a visual detection task) and the corresponding neurophysiological signal
changes related to visual attention(3-5). These measures of performance are
sensitive to where participants allocate attention, their learning abilities,
previous training and decisional strategies. My aim is to use & extend
this earlier work to identify key brain areas involved in such cognitive
processes to advance our current knowledge. I believe that this research
approach will strengthen the interaction between cognitive neuroscience and
disciplines interested in the analysis of optimal behaviour (e.g. animal and
human learning, economics and game theory; 6-10).
I consider that a
better understanding of the brain mechanisms mediating visual attention,
learning and decision making in the healthy brain is essential to identify
the precise conditions and activity patterns necessary for normal brain
function and behaviour. This fundamental research will be thus relevant in
improving clinical assessment and monitoring of conditions resulting in
abnormal or diminished cognitive capabilities (e.g. attention deficit
disorders, lack of sleep, learning difficulties, aging, depression, etc.).
Reference List
(1) Herrnstein RJ. The Matching Law: Papers in Psychology and Economics. 2000.
(2) Shanks DR, Tunney RJ, McCarthy JD. A re-examination of
probability matching and rational choice. Journal of Behavioral Decision
Making 2002; 15:233-250.
(3) Posner MI. Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention. New York: Guildford, 2004.
(4) Carrasco M, Ling S, Read S. Attention alters appearance. Nat Neurosci
2004; 7(3):308-313.
(5) Luck SJ, Woodman GF, Vogel EK. Event-related potential studies of
attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2000; 4(11):432-440.
(6) Sugrue LP, Corrado GS, Newsome WT. Choosing the greater of two goods: neural currencies for
valuation and decision making. Nat Rev Neurosci 2005; 6(5):363-375.
(7) Glimcher PW, Rustichini A. Neuroeconomics: the consilience of brain and
decision. Science 2004; 306(5695):447-452.
(8) Glimcher PW. Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: the science of
neuroeconomics. MIT Press, 2004.
(9) Schultz W. Neural coding of basic reward terms of animal learning theory,
game theory, microeconomics and behavioural ecology. Curr Opin Neurobiol
2004; 14(2):139-147.
(10) Pierce D, Cheney C. Behaviour Analysis and Learning. 3rd ed. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003.
Recent Publications
S. Moro, M. L. Rodriguez-Carmona, E. C. Frost, G. T. Plant, and J. L. Barbur
(2007) A comparison of visual and pupil response deficits in multiple sclerosis
and optic neuritis. Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics (In press) [email
me for pre-print request]
Barbur, J. L., Moro,
S., Harlow, J. A., Lam, B. L., and Liu, M.
(2004) Comparison of pupil responses to luminance and colour in severe optic
neuritis. Clinical Neurophysiology 115, 2650-2658 [download pdf]
Wilhelm BJ, Wilhelm H,
Moro S, Barbur JL. (2002). Pupil response components: studies in patients
with Parinaud`s syndrome. Brain 125(Pt 10):2296-307 [download pdf]
J. L. Barbur, A. J.
Harlow, S. Moro, and I. S. Levy (2000) Perimetric study of relative afferent
pupil defects. Non-invasive Assessment of the Visual System (Technical Digest
Series). Washington DC. Optical Society of America. 1:34-37.
J.L. Barbur, S. Moro
(2000) Component pupil perimetry in subjects with acute optic neuritis.
Ophthalmic Research 32, 146.
|
