Research Interests

Professor Petersen uses behavioral and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to study the neural mechanisms underlying attention, language, learning and memory. One current area of research focuses on the development of language. This project employs direct statistical comparison of child and adult imaging data. Another area of focus is on identifying fMRI signals related to different aspects of task organization. These processes produce several different types of task-related signals that can be identified at key times during performance of a task.

Selected Publications

• McDermott KB, Jones TC, Petersen SE, Lageman SK, Roediger HL 3rd. Retrieval Success is Accompanied by Enhanced Activation in Anterior Prefrontal Cortex During Recognition Memory: An Event-Related fMRI Study. J Cogn Neurosci. 2000 Nov;12(6):965-76.
• Shulman GL, Ollinger JM, Linenweber M, Petersen SE, Corbetta M. Multiple neural correlates of detection in the human brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Jan 2;98(1):313-8.
• Rosen HJ, Petersen SE, Linenweber MR, Snyder AZ, White DA, Chapman L, Dromerick AW, Fiez JA, Corbetta MD. Neural correlates of recovery from aphasia after damage to left inferior frontal cortex. Neurology. 2000 Dec 26;55(12):1883-94.
• Donaldson DI, Petersen SE, Ollinger JM, Buckner RL. Dissociating state and item components of recognition memory using fMRI. Neuroimage. 2001 Jan;13(1):129-42.
• Wheeler ME, Petersen SE, Buckner RL. Memory's echo: vivid remembering reactivates sensory-specific cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Sep 26;97(20):11125-9.

Departments

Courses

• Introduction to the Study of the Mind-Brain: Psychological
• Biological
• Philosophical Perspectives