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Steven E. Petersen

URL: http://mednews.wustl.edu/sb/page/normal/502.html

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James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in Neurology

Expertise: Neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, neuropyschology, brain imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), attention, memory, language

Bio: Petersen is chief of the Neuropsychology Division and a pioneer in using brain imaging to identify brain regions that contribute to attention, learning, memory and language. He also investigates the effects of disease and brain damage on these cognitive processes, bridging a range of psychological and neurological fields.

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Birth of a notion

Master planners in brain may coordinate other areas' roles in cognitive tasks (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/7274.html)

May 31, 2006 --
These brain images point out the areas most consistently active during a variety of cognitive tasks.
These brain images point out the areas most consistently active during a variety of cognitive tasks.
Scientists have used data from scans of 183 subjects to identify brain areas that consistently become active in a variety of cognitive tasks, such as reading, learning a rhythm or analyzing a picture. If the brain in action can be compared to a symphony, with specialized sections required to pitch in at the right time to produce the desired melody, then the regions highlighted by the new study may be likened to conductors, researchers at the School of Medicine assert.



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Additional Background: The James S. McDonnell Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience and director of the Division of Neuropsychology, Petersen is one of the pioneers in brain imaging. He uses several modern techniques, including positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to directly observe the activity of the human brain during learning, memory and attention tasks. He also investigates the effects of disease and brain damage on these cognitive processes, bridging a range of psychological and neurological fields.
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