Neal J Cohen

About

Neal J Cohen is a professor in the Psychology department and a faculty member in the Neuroscience Program at the Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on the interdisciplinary study of human learning and memory within cognitive neuroscience, with particular emphasis on identifying and characterizing the brain's multiple memory systems. He concentrates on the hippocampal (or medial temporal lobe) memory system, studying memory impairments seen in patients with amnesia. His empirical work combines cognitive neuropsychological, eye movement, fMRI, and ERP studies of memory performance in both normal and neuropsychological populations, alongside computational modeling of memory. The overarching goal of his research is to better understand the componential organization of memory and to map the functional architecture of memory onto its neurobiological substrates. Neal J Cohen holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego and is also an Emeritus Professor of Psychology.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Pathology
• Physics
• Biomedical engineering
• Psychology
• Nursing
• Cognitive psychology

Selected publications

• Semantic Memory and the Hippocampus: Revisiting, Reaffirming, and Extending the Reach of Their Critical Relationship

  Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · 2020 · 194 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Since Tulving proposed a distinction in memory between semantic and episodic memory, considerable effort has been directed towards understanding their similar and unique features. Of particular interest has been the extent to which semantic and episodic memory have a shared dependence on the hippocampus. In contrast to the definitive evidence for the link between hippocampus and episodic memory, the role of the hippocampus in semantic memory has been a topic of considerable debate. This debate s…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Standard‐space atlas of the viscoelastic properties of the human brain

  Human Brain Mapping · 2020 · 88 citations

  Standard anatomical atlases are common in neuroimaging because they facilitate data analyses and comparisons across subjects and studies. The purpose of this study was to develop a standardized human brain atlas based on the physical mechanical properties (i.e., tissue viscoelasticity) of brain tissue using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). MRE is a phase contrast-based MRI method that quantifies tissue viscoelasticity noninvasively and in vivo thus providing a macroscopic representation of…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at a large public university

  Nature Communications · 2022 · 33 citations

  In Fall 2020, universities saw extensive transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among their populations, threatening health of the university and surrounding communities, and viability of in-person instruction. Here we report a case study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where a multimodal "SHIELD: Target, Test, and Tell" program, with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, was employed to keep classrooms and laboratories open. The program included epidemiological modeling and surveillanc…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Magnetic Resonance Elastography of Human Hippocampal Subfields: CA3-Dentate Gyrus Viscoelasticity Predicts Relational Memory Accuracy

  Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · 2020-05-07 · 21 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The hippocampus is necessary for binding and reconstituting information in relational memory. These essential memory functions are supported by the distinct cytoarchitecture of the hippocampal subfields. Magnetic resonance elastography is an emerging tool that provides sensitive estimates of microstructure vis-à-vis tissue mechanical properties. Here, we report the first in vivo study of human hippocampal subfield viscoelastic stiffness and damping ratio. Stiffness describes resistance…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A combined DHA-rich fish oil and cocoa flavanols intervention does not improve cognition or brain structure in older adults with memory complaints: results from the CANN randomized, controlled parallel-design study

  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2023-06-12 · 19 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: There is evidence that both omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) and cocoa flavanols can improve cognitive performance in both healthy individuals and in those with memory complaints. However, their combined effect is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the combined effect of EPA/DHA and cocoa flavanols (OM3FLAV) on cognitive performance and brain structures in older adults with memory complaints. METHODS:…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01MH062500

  NIH · $5.8M · 2017

• NIH Grant P50MH094263

  NIH · $17.3M · 2017

• Relational Memory as a Model of Behavioral (Dys)Function in Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

  NIH · $3.2M · 2020–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Arthur F. Kramer

  82 shared

• Charles H. Hillman

  Northeastern University

  61 shared

• Howard Eichenbaum

  40 shared

• Naiman A. Khan

  35 shared

• Lauren B. Raine

  Northeastern University

  31 shared

• Melissa C. Duff

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center

  30 shared

• Daniel Tranel

  University of Iowa

  29 shared

• Aron K. Barbey

  26 shared

Similar researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Rashid Bashirh-83
• Alison M Bellh-48
• Adrienne M. Antonsonh-15