Dr. Dr. Cornelia McCormick

If we close our eyes, most of us can vividly imagine events from our past or envision never-experienced scenarios set in the future. This type of mental imagery is supported by a key set of brain regions, including the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex and visual-perceptual cortices. My research focusses on each region’s precise contribution and about their dynamic interactions. Uncovering the neuronal basis of mental imagery offers crucial insights into experiential cognitive functions such as autobiographical memory, future thinking, and navigation, but is also important, for decision-making, emotion regulation and mind-wandering.
My research draws on multimodal neuroscientific techniques. First, I use neuroimaging tools, such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Second, I work with people who complain about their memory and imagination (i.e., due to temporal lobe epilepsy, limbic encephalitis, or various forms of neurodegenerative dementia).