Biopsychology Faculty
There are 32 full-time faculty in the Department of Psychology; the following faculty members specialize in Physiological Psychology or Neuroscience.
Giorgio Ascoli, Ph. D. (Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy), Associate Professor of Psychology, Krasnow Institute.
Dr Ascoli is the head of the Computational Neuroanatomy Group, a multidisciplinary research team devoted to the study of basic neuroscience. Dr Ascoli is specifically interested in the description and generation of dendritic morphology, and in its affect on neuronal electrophysiology. In the long term, he seeks to create large-scale, anatomically plausible neural networks to model entire portions of a mammalian brain (such as a hippocampal slice, or a cortical column). Dr Ascoli's interests also involve lucid dreaming, human consciousness, and protein structure and binding in the nervous system. He has published in the Anatomical Record, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Neurocomputing, and Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Academy - Biological Sciences.
Susan Bachus, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
Dr. Bachus joined George Mason University as a lecturer in the Psychology Department, and holds a research position with the Krasnow Institute. Her research focuses primarily on rat models of tardive dyskinesia. More on Dr. Bachus's research can be found in the Mason Gazette here, or you can read and download her current CV (PDF format).
Ann B. Butler, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University), Professor of Psychology, Krasnow Institute
Dr. Butler's research focuses on forebrain evolution in vertebrates. She studies the organization of sensory pathways and forebrain anatomy in fish and reptiles for comparison with mammals. Current projects include neuroanatomical tract-tracing studies on visual and olfactory pathways and pallial circuitry in fish; an immunohistochemical study to identify comparable limbic areas in fish and reptile brains; theoretical aspects of homology in comparative biology; and collaborative work on evolutionary-developmental aspects of mammalian neocortex. With Dr. William Hodos, she has authored Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy, and she has published over 50 articles in journals such as Brain, Behavior and Evolution, Brain Research, and the Journal of Comparative Neurology. Dr Butler serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the latter.
Linda Chrosniak, Ph.D. (George Washington University), Visiting Associate Professor
Linda Chrosniak earned her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas and her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from The George Washington University. She has been a faculty member at George Mason University since 1992. Her research interests include learning and memory processes in both humans and animals. Some of her research has been on implicit and explicit memory processes in older adults and college students. In addition, some of her recent research has been an investigation of the effects of trace metals (e.g., zinc and copper) on memory and learning in rats and mice. Dr. Chrosniak has publications in a variety of journals including the following: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, Psychology and Aging, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, and Journal of Geochemical Exploration. Dr. Chrosniak received a University Teaching Excellence award in 2000 and the Psi Chi Teacher of the Year award in 2003 and 2005. In addition to her research, Dr. Chrosniak is the Director of the Honors Program in Psychology. She can be reached by e-mail at lchrosni@gmu.edu.
Jane M. Flinn, Ph.D. (George Washington University). Associate Professor, Director of Biopsychology
Dr Flinn has a long-standing interest in environmental effects on learning. Her present research focuses on the effect of metals on normal memory and on the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amyloid plaques found in the brains of people with AD have elevated levels of iron, zinc and copper. Dr Flinn has examined memory loss in both rats and in transgenic mice (modified to develop Alzheimer's-like plaques) following the administration of these metals in their drinking water. She and her students are examining the development of plaques in mice and are examining the metal content of amyloid plaques in murine and human brain tissue. Dr Flinn collaborates with Dr Chrosniak in studies on aging. The work on metal content is done in collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory and with the U.S. Geological Survey. Her work has appeared in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, the Journal of Physiological Psychology, Physiology and Behavior, and Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine.
Steven J. Schiff, Ph.D. Professor of Neurobiology and Psychology, Krasnow Institute
Dr. Schiff is the chief of the Neural Dynamics Laboratory. His research interests include applying advances in nonlinear dynamics to our understanding the dynamics of neuronal ensembles, modulating the dynamics with electric fields, and in the control of epilepsy.
Robert F. Smith, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin), Professor and Department Chair
Dr. Smith is a physiological psychologist whose primary research interest in behavioral toxicology is drug-induced alterations in brain development and its effect on subsequent functioning. His lab is currently studying the effects of administering cocaine to juvenile rats, to determine whether this produces long-lasting changes in behavior or sensitivity to cocaine. He has also examined the effect of prenatal cocaine on the offspring of dosed mothers. Dr. Smith is primarily interested in the mechanisms that regulate neural and behavioral development, and the consequences of altering those mechanisms. Recent publications include articles in Neurotoxicology and Teratology, Physiology and Behavior, and Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.
Affiliated Faculty
Avrama Blackwell, Ph.D., D.V.M. (The University of Pennsylvania), Associate Professor, Institute for Computational Sciences and Informatics, Krasnow Institute.
Neuronal mechanisms of long-term memory storage in classical conditioning.
Karl Fryxell, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology) Associate Professor, Center for Biomedical Genomics and Informatics, Department of Molecular Microbiology.
Our research interests center on molecular evolution and genomics.
Craig McDonald, Ph.D. (University of Victoria), Post Doctoral Fellow.
Nicotine induced neuroplasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway; clinical neurophysiology.
Jim Olds, Ph.D. (University
of Michigan), Director, Krasnow Institute.
Role of signal transduction in memory storage.
