The development of many human abilities, including cognitive, motor, sensory, and social functions, are intricately linked. Thus, a complete understanding of the development of one function relies upon understanding its interactions with the others. One way to study these interactions is to examine how different parts of the brain communicate to support these functions. Brain areas are organized into functional networks, and the complex interactions within and among these networks can reveal principles about the relationships among numerous human abilities in both typical and atypical development.

Our laboratory seeks to understand how cortical and subcortical brain networks develop, become individualized, and support cognitive, motor, and sensory functions across development. We use multimodal cognitive neuroscience approaches, including functional and structural MRI, functional connectivity, EEG, and behavioral measures, to study typical and atypical development at both the group and individual levels.

Human cognition and behavior emerge through interactions among distributed cortical and subcortical brain systems. Our research seeks to understand these systems develop and support cognitive, motor, and sensory functions throughout childhood and adolescence. Using multimodal MRI, including resting-state functional connectivity and structural imaging, we use group-level approaches to study the organization and development of brain networks throughout the cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum. We also use computational and machine learning approaches to identify relationships between brain organization and behavior, characterize individual differences, and predict developmental and clinical outcomes. Together, these approaches allow us to reveal fundamental principles of brain development and how alterations in cortical and subcortical brain networks, including cortico-subcorticol interactions, contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Although many principles of brain organization are shared across individuals, each person has a unique pattern of functional brain networks. Traditional group-level analyses reveal common organizational features, but can obscure important aspects of individual brain organization. To better understand these individualized features, our laboratory uses Precision Functional Mapping, an approach that generates highly reliable estimates of brain network organization by collecting large amounts of fMRI data from single participants. We are applying these approaches to understand how individualized brain organization emerges during development and how it differs in neurodevelopmental disorders, with the goal of bridging group-level neuroscience and individualized approaches to studying the human brain.

Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics that emerge during childhood and are often accompanied by other cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Our laboratory studies how the organization and development of cortical and subcortical brain networks contribute to Tourette syndrome, using multimodal neuroimaging to better understand the neural basis of tics, premonitory urges, cognitive function, and treatment response. By combining group-level approaches with precision functional mapping, we seek to identify both common and individualized features of brain organization that may ultimately improve our understanding of treatment mechanisms and inform more personalized approaches to diagnosis and treatment.