Laboratory of Brain and Cognition (LBC)

Overview

The Laboratory of Brain and Cognition (LBC) is a branch of the Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The NIMH is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH ), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS ).

The LBC consists of two Sections and a Team, headed by Dr. Chris I. Baker (Section on Learning and Plasticity), Dr. Peter A. Bandettini (Section on Functional Imaging Methods), and Dr. Eli Merriam (Computational Neuroimaging and Perception Team) with Dr. Baker serving as the acting Laboratory Chief.

The LBC is a highly interactive and collegial environment, in which collaborations within and across the Sections are encouraged. There are two main themes of research in the LBC:

• Human Cognitive Neuroscience - Much of our research investigates the functional organization of the human brain using a variety of different methods including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), non-invasive brain stimulation (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS and transcranial electrical stimulation or tES) and behavioral measures (e.g. eye tracking). A major focus is on the visual modality as a model system for investigating perception, attention, learning, memory, decision-making, and the representation of semantic knowledge. Functional brain imaging studies are motivated by both the anatomy and physiology of the visual system in non-human primates and cognitive impairments produced by focal brain lesions in humans, as well as by models from cognitive science.
• Neuroimaging and Neuromodulation Methods - In parallel with addressing questions about human neuroscience, a major goal is the development and implementation of advanced neuroimaging (e.g. fMRI, MEG) and neuromodulation (e.g. TMS, tES) methods towards an increased understanding of the functional organization and physiology of the human brain, and ultimately increased clinical utility. One major focus has been to understand the relationship between neuronal activity and fMRI signal changes, and to explore new methods for extraction of neuronal information from resting and active fMRI time series.