Welcome to MADLAB!
Our aim is to study and understand cognition in health and disease
We utilize a developmental cognitive neuroscience approach to understand cognitive and brain development across different system levels
The Memory and Attention Development Lab (aka MADLab) focuses on cognitive processes and their neural and biological basis from childhood to adulthood, with a particular interest on attention and memory. Results from our work aim to provide models of typical and atypical neurocognitive functioning and their impact on academic learning and mental health. We hope that our work will channel interventions to ameliorate attention and memory difficulties.
MADLab is directed by Dr. Andria Shimi
My research focuses on the neurocognitive development of attentional control and visual working memory in both typical and atypical populations. In particular, I am interested in how attention develops across the lifespan, how attentional mechanisms function in the brain and how attentional deficits affect other cognitive processes such as working memory and learning in various clinical populations (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). In my research I use an interdisciplinary approach that combines behavioural measures (including both experimental paradigms and standardized psychological tests) with neuroscience techniques (primarily EEG/ERP) and genetic methodology.
Our approach
Attention and memory are two critical cognitive processes in daily life. Attention allow us to process the information we receive through our senses while memory allow us to retain this information for later use. Both processes become more refined during development and we are interested in understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying their protracted improvement and changing dynamic interaction. Importantly, both processes appear deficient in many neurodevelopmental and other clinical disorders and we are keen on identifying how these deficits emerge. We use a variety of methods to answer our research questions.
Behavioural
We design and program our own computerised experimental tasks as well as we use standardised psychological tests.
Electrophysiology
Our lab is equipped with its own EEG hardware and software for recording and analysing neural data.
Molecular genetics
We collaborate with molecular geneticists to investigate the biological pathways of cognitive functions.
Developmental
We employ a developmental approach studying participants from early childhood to young adulthood.
Healthy populations
We work with typically-developing children and healthy young adults to understand normal neurocognitive functioning.
Clinical populations
We study clinical populations with attention, memory, and executive function deficits and their impact on mental health.
Outreach
Would you like to learn more about our research?
Whether you are a scientist or someone from the community, feel free to contact us for more information about our research!