Research Interests
Interdisciplinary, cognitive neuroscience study of human learning and memory, with a focus on identifying and characterizing the brain's multiple memory systems. Particular emphasis is on study of the hippocampal (or medial temporal lobe ) memory system, through the study of the memory impairments seen in patients with amnesia. Empirical work combines cognitive neuropsychological, eye movement, fMRI, and ERP studies of various memory performances in normal and neuropsychological populations, together with computational modeling of memory. The overall goal of this research is to better understand the componential organization of memory, and to make progress in mapping the functional architecture of memory onto its neurobiological substrates.
Education
Ph.D., University of California at San Diego
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor Emeritus, Psychology
External Links
Recent Publications
Heselton, H. J., Anderson, A. T., Johnson, C. L., Cohen, N. J., Sutton, B. P., & Schwarb, H. (2025). Putamen Stiffness Declines with Age and Is Associated with Implicit Sequence Learning Outcomes. Brain Sciences, 15(9), Article 947. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15090947
Schwarb, H., Dulas, M., & Cohen, N. (2024). The influence of categorical stimuli on relational memory binding. Learning and Memory, 31(10-11), Article a054006. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.054006.124
Cannavale, C. N., Mysonhimer, A. R., Bailey, M. A., Cohen, N. J., Holscher, H. D., & Khan, N. A. (2023). Consumption of a fermented dairy beverage improves hippocampal-dependent relational memory in a randomized, controlled cross-over trial. Nutritional Neuroscience, 26(3), 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2022.2046963
Cannavale, C. N., Keye, S. A., Rosok, L. M., Martell, S. G., Holthaus, T. A., Raine, L. R., Mullen, S. P., Holscher, H. D., Hillman, C. H., Kramer, A. F., Cohen, N. J., Hammond, B. R., Renzi-Hammond, L., & Khan, N. A. (2023). Macular Pigment Optical Density and Skin Carotenoids in a Childhood Sample. Journal of Nutrition, 153(10), 3144-3151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.006
Lucas, H. D., Daugherty, A. M., McAuley, E., Kramer, A. F., & Cohen, N. J. (2023). Dynamic Interactions Between Memory and Viewing Behaviors: Insights From Dyadic Modeling of Eye Movements. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 49(6), 786-801. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001123