Kevin M.
Spencer, Ph.D.
Research
Health Scientist, VA Boston Healthcare
System
Assistant
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical
School
Contact:
Psychiatry
116A, VA
My
basic interest is in understanding the relationships between the dynamics of
neural systems and cognitive processes. I use electrophysiology and
neural network modeling to investigate three areas: 1) neural coding by
temporal synchrony; 2) attentional control; and 3) executive control.
My
studies involve both healthy individuals and schizophrenia patients. I’m interested in schizophrenia because it is
characterized by abnormalities in neural circuitry. These abnormalities appear to be manifested
functionally in abnormal gamma-band EEG oscillations, and behaviorally in
dysfunctional cognitive processes (such as attentional hyperpriming and working
memory deficits). By studying neural
dynamics in healthy and schizophrenic individuals, I hope to gain insight into
both the neural substrates of “normal” cognition, and the neural abnormalities
that are the basis of schizophrenia.
To
find out more about my research, see a fuller description of my research
interests and my publications.
My research is funded by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia
and Depression (NARSAD) and NIMH.
Recent publications
·
Spencer KM. Visual gamma oscillations in schizophrenia:
implications for understanding neural circuitry abnormalities. Clin EEG Neurosci in press.
·
Spencer KM, Niznikiewicz MA, Shenton ME, McCarley RW. Sensory-evoked
gamma oscillations in chronic schizophrenia. Biol
Psychiatry in press.
·
Spencer KM, Salisbury DF, Shenton ME, McCarley RW. Gamma-band auditory steady-state responses are
impaired in first episode psychosis. Biol Psychiatry in press.
·
Javitt DC, Spencer KM, Thaker GK, Winterer G, Hajós
M. Neurophysiological
biomarkers for drug development in schizophrenia. Nat Rev
Drug Discov 2008;7:68-83.
Online
presentations
·
Cortical
Circuitry Abnormalities and Gamma Oscillations in Schizophrenia: A
Computational Modeling Study (SOBP 2006)
·
Spatiotemporal
Analysis of the P300 and its Neighbors (SPR 2005)
·
Neural
Synchrony in Top-Down Attentional Control: Behavioral and Functional Correlates
(CNS 2004)
See the Biomarkers for
Schizophrenia symposium at the New York Academy of Sciences.
Links
·
Computational
Neuroscience Center at the Martinos Center for
Biomedical Imaging, MGH
·
Schizophrenia Research Forum
·
Psychiatry Neuroimaging
Laboratory, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
·
Harvard Medical School
Department of Psychiatry
·
VA
Boston Healthcare System Research & Development
·
Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory
(Dept. of Psychology,