Assistant Professor
Radiology
Psychiatry
Office Phone: 314-362-6575
Lab Phone: 314-362-6907
FAX: 314-362-6110
Mailing Address:
Washington University School of Medicine
Department of Radiology, Campus Box 8225
4525 Scott Ave., Room 2115
St. Louis, MO 63110 USA
Email: gusnard@npg.wustl.edu
Research interests: Extensive research in psychology has targeted investigation of various aspects of human reflexive self-consciousness ranging from the study of self-awareness per se to how knowledge about one's self is acquired, transformed and used. It is clear that such cognitive abilities are complex, but that they are likely to have some role in higher-level human capacities, including aspects of judgment, planning and decision-making, particularly in the context of social cognition. The tools of functional imaging are beginning to be applied to the study of such issues, but questions remain about how best to apply this methodology to their exploration as well as interpretation of the results. Investigation of these issues has implications for an understanding of normal human behavior as well as some psychiatric disorders, where normal mechanisms of self-awareness and control may be altered.
My primary research interests are in investigating the neural bases of self-awareness, particularly with regard to emotional experience, and mechanisms of self-regulation. General mechanisms as well as individual differences are being investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and various behavioral measures. Related work in the research group involves using functional imaging in the study of a ‘physiologic baseline' level of brain activity and its relationship to the human resting state.
Selected publications:
Gusnard D.A., Akbudak E., Shulman G.L., and Raichle M.E.: Medial prefrontal
cortex and self-referential mental activity: relation to a default mode
of brain function. PNAS (98): 4259-4264, 2001.
Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
