Dr. Sophia Vinogradov directs a translational clinical neuroscience laboratory that focuses on cognitive dysfunction in psychosis. The lab studies neuroscience-informed cognitive training methods and seeks to understand the mechanisms that drive enduring plastic changes in cortical and subcortical processing. Her team uses MEG, EEG, and fMRI methods to probe brain changes in both early sensory processing and higher-order cognitive operations in people who undergo this kind of cognitive training. There is a large focus on studying young adults in early psychosis, with the goal of ameliorating cognition and delaying or preventing the onset of a deteriorating psychiatric illness. Her work has contributed to a growing interest in the use of computerized “brain training” to treat some of the brain information processing abnormalities of psychiatric illnesses. She was a participant at the White House conference on “Video Games to Enhance Attention and Well-Being,” and a recipient of the NAMI National Research Award.
