The Office of Graduate Studies and Research at Texas A&M University-Texarkana will host Dr. Dominic T. Cheng, a neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins University, for a lecture on “Human Eyeblink Conditioning: Basic Neural Mechanisms and Clinical Relevance” on Monday, Oct. 5, at 4:30 p.m. in Eagle Hall of the University Center on the Texarkana campus.
Classical conditioning is widely considered to be one of the most fundamental forms of learning in the animal kingdom. Conditioning procedures offer tight experimental control resulting in highly predictable behavioral outcomes.
One of the forms of classical conditioning, eyeblink conditioning, has received considerable attention by the neuroscience community.
Dr. Cheng’s work uses functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial direct current stimulation techniques to investigate the neural substrates supporting human eyeblink conditioning.
In his presentation, Dr. Cheng will describe brain activity as revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging during eyeblink conditioning across the healthy lifespan. He will characterize neural activity associated with learning impairments in two clinical populations: adults with alcohol use disorders and children with fetal alcohol syndrome. He also will summarize findings that show how brain stimulation affects memory performance.
The presentation is open to the general public. There is no charge to attend.
