Russell Epstein

Associate Professor

Education:

BA, Physics, University of Chicago; Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University

Department:

Psychology

Address:

Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, 3810 Walnut St, Room 307

Phone:

215-573-3532

Email:

epstein@psych.upenn.edu

Lab Page

Research Themes:

Cognitive Neuroscience

Memory and Learning

Sensation and Perception

Specific Research Areas:

Neural bases of visual scene perception and spatial cognition

Research Synopsis:

Our lab uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral methods to study the neural systems involved in place recognition and spatial navigation. We are particularly interested in two questions.

First, how are visual scenes represented in the brain?

Second, how do our brains transform visual information obtained from the local scene into spatial information about our whereabouts in the extended environment? Answering these questions involves addressing basic questions about how the brain represents visual information and encodes long-term memories.

Representative Courses:

PSYC 349 Research Experience in Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 459 Visual Cognition
PSYC 604 Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYCH 149 Cognitive Neuroscience

Advisees:

Lindsay Morgan [Neuroscience Graduate Student]
Teresa Pegors [Psychology Graduate Student]
Victor Schinazi [Post-doc]

Appointments:

Psychology Graduate Group; Neuroscience Graduate Group

Publications:

Epstein, R.A. & Ward, E. J. (2009). How reliable are visual context effects in the parahippocampal place area? Cerebral Cortex, in press.

MacEvoy, S.P. & Epstein, R.A. (2009). Decoding the representation of multiple simultaneous objects in human occipitotemporal cortex. Current Biology, in press.

Epstein, R.A. (2008). Parahippocampal and retrosplenial contributions to human spatial navigation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12: 388-396.

Epstein, R.A., Parker, W.E. & Feiler, A.M. (2008). Two kinds of fMRI epetition suppression? Evidence for dissociable neural mechanisms. Journal of Neurophysiology, 99: 2877-86.

Epstein, R.A., Parker, W.E. & Feiler, A.M. (2007). Where am I now? Distinct roles for parahippocampal and retrosplenial cortices in place recognition. Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 6141-6149.

Epstein, R. (2004). Art, consciousness, and the brain: Lessons from arcel Proust. Consciousness & Cognition, 13: 213-240.

Epstein, R. & Kanwisher, N. (1998). A cortical representation of the ocal visual environment. Nature, 392: 598-601