Research

I am a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working towards my PhD in Neuroscience. My research interests mainly revolve around trying to understand various aspects of cognition via the study of cognitive dysfunction. To do this I use a variety of behavioral, and (mostly) neuroimaging techniques, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), voxel-based morphometry (VBM), positron emission tomorgraphy (PET), task- and rest-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

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In my graduate research, I have focused on understanding the plasticity that co-occurs with tinnitus and hearing loss, and how the neural correlates observed with tinnitus and its co-morbid conditions relate to the specific cognitive dysfunctions with which they co-occur.

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I also enjoy the process of figuring out and implementing innovative and/or neuroimaging techniques and analyses. My blog details the process of figuring out and implementing the various techniques I am using in my research (as well as some of the lessons I learn along the way).

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Currently, I am working on using advanced DTI metrics to differentiate tinnitus subtypes, using PET to evaluate the efficacy of hearing aid use in tinnitus patients, and using resting-state and task-based fMRI to evaluate the use of a smartphone app to alleviate tinnitus handicap. We are now also in the process of beginning to study the neurochemical concentrations underlying tinnitus sufferers and hearing loss sufferers.

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Excitingly, we just started a new project to study misophonia from a psychological, audiological and neurological perspective. We have little to no understanding as to why misophonia occurs, and are hopeful that this will be a pioneering study which greatly expands our knowledge of it.