Arthur Shimamura

Professor (Psychology)

Email: aps@berkeley.edu

Research areas: Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience

I am interested in the analysis of human memory and cognition from a biological perspective. Three methods are used in m;y laboratory. First, we develop behavioral tasks that assess specific aspects of performance (e.g., attention, learning, memory recollection). Healthy young adult volunteers act as subjects for these experiments. Second, we administer these behavioral tasks to older adults and to adults with neurological disorders as a way to assess changes in performance due to aging and specific brain damage. Third, we apply brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), as a way to analyze the brain areas that are active during a behavioral task. With these methods, we develop theories about the neural dynamics of memory and cognitive processes. In my research, the role of the prefrontal cortex has become central in understanding the manner in which humans can control attention to perceptions, memories, actions, and even emotions. Different regions in the prefrontal cortex appear to regulate different aspects of mental function. A prominent goal of the research program is to understand how the prefrontal cortex acts to guide and control cognition. Specific research interests include: the role of the prefrontal cortex in attending to perceptual features; the role of the prefrontal cortex in learning and memory recollection; source memory, remembering where and when you learned something; implicit memory, unconscious aspects of memory activation.

Selected Publications

Shimamura, A. P., Jurica, P. J., Mangels, J. A., Gershberg, F. B., and Knight, R. T. 1995. Susceptibility to memory interference effects following frontal lobe damage: Findings from tests of paired-associate learning J. of Cognitive Neuroscience 7: 144–152.

Jurica, P. J. & Shimamura, A. P. 1999. Monitoring item and source information: Evidence for a negative generation effect in source memory Memory and Cognition 27: 648-656.

Baldo, J. V., & Shimamura, A. P. 2000. Spatial and color working memory in patients with lateral prefrontal cortex lesions Psychobiology.

Shimamura, A. P. 2000. The role of the prefrontal cortex in dynamic filtering Psychobiology.