Our lab is devoted to investigating neurocognitive development in both typically and atypically developing individuals, specifically those with autism and those on the fragile X spectrum of involvement. We use psychophysical (infrared eye-tracking) as well as functional (fMRI and ERP) and structural (DTI, volumetric measurement) brain imaging techniques. Our research is focused broadly on several topics:
- The functions of the parietal lobe of the brain (e.g., arithmetic, spatial reasoning, visual awareness of objects in space and multisensory integration).
- Functions of the limbic system as it relates to social anxiety.
- Dysfunction in gesture processing and production and associations with social skills in autism spectrum development.
- Heterogeneity in sensory processing features in autism spectrum and typical development.
- Investigations of a neurodegenerative disease associated with the fragile X premutation (FXTAS).
- How underlying brain activity and behavior support the development of skills (i.e., attention, visual perception, face processing, and emotion regulation) necessary for adaptive social-emotional well-being.
