Andrew Silva, Ph.D.

Summary: I use neuroimaging (fNIRS, fMRI), non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS, TMS), and psychophysical methods to explore how sensory and perceptual mechanisms influence, and are influenced by, broader human traits and behaviors. For example, I examine how visual processing is related to neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and dyslexia. I also investigate ways of harnessing brain plasticity to improve the visual experiences of people living with eye and vision disorders.

Minimum Classes: No minimum classes are strictly required. However, having taken classes in research methods, statistics, and/or sensation & perception will enable students to take greater initial ownership over the research.

Projects: Peripheral vision is not optimized for clear, detailed perception. However, it can be trained to improve using neuroscientific principles of brain plasticity and perceptual learning. This is important for people who suffer from vision loss and have lost their detailed vision. We will use non-invasive brain stimulation to improve peripheral vision, and we will use functional neuroimaging to examine how the brain changes as a result of the induced perceptual learning. A second potential project involves understanding how visual processing in people with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and dyslexia differs from people without neurodevelopmental conditions. This project would involve presenting visual tasks and using neuroimaging to find associations between their brain activity, behavioral performance, and individual differences in neurodevelopmental traits.