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SUMMARY:Translational Biomarkers of Cognitive Control and Reward Responsiv
 ity - Dr James Cavanagh\, University of New Mexico
DTSTART:20221013T113000Z
DTEND:20221013T123000Z
UID:TALK178787@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:87079
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract:* Electrophysiology is a direct measure of neuronal 
 processes\, and it is uniquely sensitive to canonical neural operations th
 at underlie emergent psychological operations. These qualities make EEG we
 ll suited for the identification of aberrant neural mechanisms that underl
 ie complicated disease states. This talk will review the qualities of two 
 biomarkers of cognitive processes: 1) frontal midline theta as a marker of
  cognitive control\, and 2) the event-related potential component known as
  the Reward Positivity (RewP) as a marker of reward value.   While much is
  already known about frontal theta\, the RewP is more of a mystery.  This 
 talk will present unpublished evidence from MEG source estimation that the
  RewP is generated by ventromedial prefrontal cortex.  Moreover\, it will 
 be shown that the diminished RewP in major depression is due to hypoactivi
 ty in these areas\, including subgenual cingulate.  Recently developed mou
 se models of these signals will also be discussed. Together\, these findin
 gs will motivate the use of EEG biomarkers for Computational Psychiatry\, 
 drug development\, and brain stimulation.\n\n*Biography of speaker:* "*Dr 
 James Cavanagh*":https://psych.unm.edu/people/faculty/profile/james-f.-cav
 anagh.html is a cognitive neuroscientist who specializes in EEG assessment
  and computational modeling of frontal cortex functions. Dr Cavanagh is cu
 rrently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Univ
 ersity of New Mexico\, where he directs the Cognitive Rhythms and Computat
 ion Lab. Dr Cavanagh's career goal has been to advance the understanding o
 f frontal cortical functioning with methodological and theoretical advance
 ments in cognitive electrophysiology.  He describes this research program 
 as 'Oscillations\, Computations and Implications':\n\n* Oscillations:  The
  brain processes information with oscillations of neuronal populations\, w
 hich gate the timing\, location\, and intensity of neuronal calculations. 
 Electrophysiology is used to measure these oscillations\, particularly whe
 n frontal cortex utilizes control or reinforcement information to adjust b
 ehavior.\n* Computations: To transcend simple descriptions of empirical ef
 fects\, computational models is applied which help to define theoretical p
 erspectives\, constrain interpretations\, uncover latent effects\, and mak
 e novel predictions.\n* Implications: These perspectives combine into a po
 werful approach for understanding brain function.  This novel approach to 
 Computational Psychiatry may reveal the manner of compromised fronto-stria
 tal functioning in neurological and psychiatric disorders.  The developmen
 t of cross-species translational models based on common e-phys signatures 
 aims to hasten these advancements. 
LOCATION:Zoom (Please contact mho28@medschl.cam.ac.uk)
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