The continuing objective of the Program in Cognitive Neuroscience is to elucidate the neural substrate of higher integrative functions of the human brain. The research plan of the Program Project as a whole encompasses the broad range of perceptual and cognitive functions comprising human intellect. Each project focuses on specific sub components of these functions, addresses unresolved issues in perception and cognition research and attempts to identify the representation of functional sub components in the brain. The processes to be studied continue to deal with issues in visual and auditory perception and attention, memory in its various forms, and language. Techniques employed in these studies range from traditional methodologies of cognitive science, to advanced methods of brain imaging, ERP's and psychophysics. The overall strategy is to carefully examine neurologic and neurosurgical patients with focal lesions and/or disconnections. Most studies include focal lesions produced by stroke or neoplasms, epilepsy, or presumed degenerative disease. Each of these patient groups offer unique opportunities to pursue our goal. Determination of the brain mechanisms responsible for normal human cognitive and perceptual processes is an essential aspect for understanding the disease processes that occur with neurologic and mental disease. The purpose of the studies proposed in this application is to help elucidate such processes.
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