Research in my laboratory is focused on understanding the role of the basal ganglia and the fronto-striato-thalamic brain circuits in behavior. We are particularly interested in adapting cognitive paradigms to help us discover the fundamental processes, such as learning and memory, and affective functions, that underlie complex behaviors such as decision-making. This work mainly utilizes patient populations, especially Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, and contributes to understanding the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric aspects of these diseases. The primary techniques used in this work have been cognitive and clinical neuropsychological tests, structural and functional neuroimaging techniques, and psychophysiological techniques.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist, with post-doctoral training in neuropsychology and human brain imaging.
- Cognitive neuropsychology, especially neural substrates for selective attention and emotional influences on decision making
- Cognitive neuroscience of frontal-subcortical brain circuits, models of basal ganglia in cognition
- Huntingtons and Parkinsons diseases
- Techniques include cognitive and neuropsychological testing, brain imaging, and psychophysiological recording
Dr. Stout's research is focused on understanding neural mechanisms of cognition, personality, and behavior changes that occur in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Movement disorders, especially Huntington's Disease and Parkinson's Disease
- Addictions
- Disorders of frontal-subcortical brain circuitry in judgment and decision-making, problem solving, memory, and emotional behavior
- Combining clinical and experimental neuropsychological methods with structural and functional neuroimagining techniques (MRI and PET) in humans
Research Interests
- Movement disorders, especially Huntington's Disease and Parkinson's Disease
- Addictions
- Disorders of frontal-subcortical brain circuitry in judgment and decision-making, problem solving, memory, and emotional behavior
- Combining clinical and experimental neuropsychological methods with structural and functional neuroimagining techniques (MRI and PET) in humans
Methods:
- Cognitive and clinical neuropsychological assessment
- Mathematical modeling of behavioral data
- Imaging
Research in my laboratory is focused on understanding the role of the basal ganglia and the fronto-striato-thalamic brain circuits in behavior. We are particularly interested in adapting cognitive paradigms to help us discover the fundamental processes, such as learning and memory, and affective functions, that underlie complex behaviors such as decision-making. This work mainly utilizes patient populations, especially Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, and contributes to understanding the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric aspects of these diseases. The primary techniques used in this work have been cognitive and clinical neuropsychological tests, structural and functional neuroimaging techniques, and psychophysiological techniques.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist, with post-doctoral training in neuropsychology and human brain imaging.
Neuropsychological evaluation
Neuropsychology in clinical drug trials
Alzheimer's Disease, Basal Ganglia, Cognitive Neuroscience, Frontal Lobes, Huntington's Disease, Neuroimaging, Neuropsychology, Parkinson's Disease
My work is relevant to clinical trials for neurodegenerative and neurocognitive disorders as the work strives to identify behavioral testing approaches to early identification of disease processes and development of sensitive methods for detecting drug effects are behavioral systems. The work is also relevant to the psychological testing industry as I have an active research program in test development.
I am interested in expanding my work to include obsessive-compulsive disorder, and am interested in mathematical models of decision making and gambling.
