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Research Focus

Keywords

  • Attention
  • Cognititve Control
  • Cognition
  • Neuroimaging
  • Multimodal Neuroimaging
  • Human
  • Integrative Human Neuroimaging
  • Human Behaviour
  • Brain Stimulation
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  • fMRI
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • EEG/MEG
  • Clinical Conditions

  • Autism
  • Equipment & Techniques

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • Science Culture

  • Open Access
  • Women in Neuroscience
  • Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing
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    Alexandra Woolgar

    (she/her/hers)
    University Position
    Programme Leader
    Principal Research Associate
    Dr Alexandra Woolgar is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.

    Interests

    We study the neural basis for flexible cognitive control, underpinning the incredible human capacity for diverse and flexible behaviour. Our research uses multivariate analysis of fMRI, E/MEG, and combined TMS-fMRI data. We are interested in how information from the world is represented, exchanged, and transformed between brain regions and how (and whether!) the activation patterns we decode give rise to thought and behaviour. We focus on frontoparietal ?multiple-demand? (MD) brain regions which are involved in a wide range of tasks. These regions appear to prioritise coding of task-relevant information, providing a neural basis for selective attention. Projects examine the flexibility of the system, the relationship with visual cortices, and the links between MD coding and behaviour. Separately, we are developing methods to study language abilities in children with Autism who do not speak. We aim to use neuroimaging to examine cognition in this understudied population.

    Key Publications

    Neural Coding of Visual Objects Rapidly Reconfigures to Reflect Subtrial Shifts in Attentional Focus.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01832
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 31 Mar 2022
    Authors: L Barnes, E Goddard, A Woolgar

    Linking the Brain with Behavior: The Neural Dynamics of Success and Failure in Goal-directed Behavior.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01818
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 5 Mar 2022
    Authors: AK Robinson, AN Rich, A Woolgar

    Concurrent neuroimaging and neurostimulation reveals a causal role for dlPFC in coding of task-relevant information.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02109-x
    Journal: Commun Biol
    E-pub date: 17 May 2021
    Authors: JB Jackson, E Feredoes, AN Rich, M Lindner, A Woolgar

    The multiple-demand system but not the language system supports fluid intelligence.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0282-3
    Journal: Nat Hum Behav
    E-pub date: 1 Mar 2018
    Authors: A Woolgar, J Duncan, F Manes, E Fedorenko

    Publications

    Adaptive coding of stimulus information in human frontoparietal cortex during visual classification.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120150
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 1 Jul 2023
    Authors: D Wisniewski, C González-García, S Formica, A Woolgar, M Brass

    Fractionating distraction: How past- and future-relevant distractors influence integrated decisions.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001081
    Journal: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform
    E-pub date: 1 May 2023
    Authors: L Barnes, D Rangelov, JB Mattingley, A Woolgar

    How robustly do multivariate EEG patterns track individual-subject lexico-semantic processing of visual stimuli?

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2023.2177315
    Journal: Language, Cognition and Neuroscience
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2023
    Authors: S Petit, A Brown, ET Jessen, A Woolgar

    Caveats and Nuances of Model-Based and Model-Free Representational Connectivity Analysis.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.755988
    Journal: Front Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2022
    Authors: H Karimi-Rouzbahani, A Woolgar, R Henson, H Nili

    The time-course of feature-based attention effects dissociated from temporal expectation and target-related processes.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10687-x
    Journal: Sci Rep
    E-pub date: 28 Apr 2022
    Authors: D Moerel, T Grootswagers, AK Robinson, SM Shatek, A Woolgar, TA Carlson, AN Rich

    Causal Evidence for the Multiple Demand Network in Change Detection: Auditory Mismatch Magnetoencephalography across Focal Neurodegenerative Diseases.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1622-21.2022
    Journal: J Neurosci
    E-pub date: 13 Apr 2022
    Authors: TE Cope, LE Hughes, HN Phillips, NE Adams, A Jafarian, D Nesbitt, M Assem, A Woolgar, J Duncan, JB Rowe

    Spatial and Feature-selective Attention Have Distinct, Interacting Effects on Population-level Tuning.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01796
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 5 Jan 2022
    Authors: E Goddard, TA Carlson, A Woolgar

    Caveats and nuances of model-based and model-free representational connectivity analysis

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.10.455841
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 11 Aug 2021
    Authors: H Karimi-Rouzbahani, A Woolgar, R Henson, H Nili

    Word Detection in Individual Subjects Is Difficult to Probe With Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.602798
    Journal: Front Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2021
    Authors: L Barnes, S Petit, NA Badcock, CJ Whyte, A Woolgar

    Perceptual difficulty modulates the direction of information flow in familiar face recognition.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117896
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 1 Jun 2021
    Authors: H Karimi-Rouzbahani, F Ramezani, A Woolgar, A Rich, M Ghodrati

    Now you see it, now you don’t: optimal parameters for interslice stimulation in concurrent TMS-fMRI

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.28.446111
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 30 May 2021
    Authors: CL Scrivener, JB Jackson, MM Correia, M Mada, A Woolgar

    Neural signatures of vigilance decrements predict behavioural errors before they occur.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.60563
    Journal: Elife
    E-pub date: 8 Apr 2021
    Authors: H Karimi-Rouzbahani, A Woolgar, AN Rich

    The effect of non-communicative eye movements on joint attention.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820945604
    Journal: Q J Exp Psychol (Hove)
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2020
    Authors: N Caruana, A Alhasan, K Wagner, DM Kaplan, A Woolgar, G McArthur

    Late disruption of central visual field disrupts peripheral perception of form and color.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219725
    Journal: PLoS One
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2020
    Authors: KB Weldon, A Woolgar, AN Rich, MA Williams

    Efficiency in Magnocellular Processing: A Common Deficit in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00049
    Journal: Front Hum Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2020
    Authors: AC Brown, JL Peters, C Parsons, DP Crewther, SG Crewther

    Toward an Individualized Neural Assessment of Receptive Language in Children.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00313
    Journal: J Speech Lang Hear Res
    E-pub date: 20 Jul 2020
    Authors: S Petit, NA Badcock, T Grootswagers, AN Rich, J Brock, L Nickels, D Moerel, N Dermody, S Yau, E Schmidt, A Woolgar

    Unconstrained multivariate EEG decoding can help detect lexical-semantic processing in individual children.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67407-6
    Journal: Sci Rep
    E-pub date: 2 Jul 2020
    Authors: S Petit, NA Badcock, T Grootswagers, A Woolgar

    Are Working Memory Training Effects Paradigm-Specific?

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01103
    Journal: Front Psychol
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2019
    Authors: J Holmes, F Woolgar, A Hampshire, SE Gathercole

    Detecting communicative intent in a computerised test of joint attention.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2899
    Journal: PeerJ
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2017
    Authors: N Caruana, G McArthur, A Woolgar, J Brock

    Simulating social interactions for the experimental investigation of joint attention.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.022
    Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev
    E-pub date: 1 Mar 2017
    Authors: N Caruana, G McArthur, A Woolgar, J Brock

    Feature-selective Attention in Frontoparietal Cortex: Multivoxel Codes Adjust to Prioritize Task-relevant Information.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01039
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2017
    Authors: J Jackson, AN Rich, MA Williams, A Woolgar

    Disruption of Foveal Space Impairs Discrimination of Peripheral Objects.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00699
    Journal: Front Psychol
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2016
    Authors: KB Weldon, AN Rich, A Woolgar, MA Williams

    Representational dynamics of object recognition: Feedforward and feedback information flows.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.006
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 1 Mar 2016
    Authors: E Goddard, TA Carlson, N Dermody, A Woolgar

    Flexible Coding of Task Rules in Frontoparietal Cortex: An Adaptive System for Flexible Cognitive Control.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00827
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Oct 2015
    Authors: A Woolgar, S Afshar, MA Williams, AN Rich

    The fovea is essential for peripheral vision: The effect of foveal distractors on extra-foveal perception

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1167/15.12.609
    Journal: Journal of Vision
    E-pub date: 1 Sep 2015
    Authors: K Weldon, A Woolgar, A Rich, M Williams

    Simulating Cooperative Interactions to Investigate the Neural Correlates of Joint Attention

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00046
    Journal: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2015
    Authors: C Nathan, W Alexandra, B Jon

    Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) reveals abnormal fMRI activity in both the “core” and “extended” face network in congenital prosopagnosia.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00925
    Journal: Front Hum Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2014
    Authors: D Rivolta, A Woolgar, R Palermo, M Butko, L Schmalzl, MA Williams

    A unique visual rhythm does not pop out.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-013-0581-1
    Journal: Cogn Process
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2014
    Authors: H Li, Y Bao, E Pöppel, Y-H Su

    Global increase in task-related fronto-parietal activity after focal frontal lobe lesion.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00432
    Journal: J Cogn Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Sep 2013
    Authors: A Woolgar, D Bor, J Duncan

    The role of Area 10 (BA10) in human multitasking and in social cognition: a lesion study.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.09.003
    Journal: Neuropsychologia
    E-pub date: 1 Nov 2011
    Authors: M Roca, T Torralva, E Gleichgerrcht, A Woolgar, R Thompson, J Duncan, F Manes

    Adaptive coding of task-relevant information in human frontoparietal cortex.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2616-11.2011
    Journal: J Neurosci
    E-pub date: 12 Oct 2011
    Authors: A Woolgar, A Hampshire, R Thompson, J Duncan

    Multi-voxel coding of stimuli, rules, and responses in human frontoparietal cortex.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.04.035
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 15 May 2011
    Authors: A Woolgar, R Thompson, D Bor, J Duncan

    Executive function and fluid intelligence after frontal lobe lesions

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp269
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2010
    Authors: M Roca, A Parr, R Thompson, A Woolgar, T Torralva, N Antoun, F Manes, J Duncan

    An evaluation of auditory verbal therapy using the rate of early language development as an outcome measure

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/dei.242
    Journal: Deafness & Education International
    E-pub date: 1 Sep 2008
    Authors: S Hogan, J Stokes, C White, E Tyszkiewicz, A Woolgar

    Goal neglect and Spearman’s g: competing parts of a complex task.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.137.1.131
    Journal: J Exp Psychol Gen
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2008
    Authors: J Duncan, A Parr, A Woolgar, R Thompson, P Bright, S Cox, S Bishop, I Nimmo-Smith