The neural and cognitive mechanisms that support language

Language is a ubiquitous aspect of human life. Much remains to be learned about the neural infrastructure that supports this complex social and cognitive function. My research has focused on understanding the neural infrastructure of various aspects of receptive language. Using electrophysiology, I have examined how semantic and phonological processes interact during spoken language comprehension. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), I have investigated the neural substrates of orthographic, lexical, and semantic aspects of visual word processing, and the influence of conscious perception on the engagement of brain regions that support these processes. I am also involved in the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) project that is examining the interplay of memory, emotional processing and executive function in a collaborative, multi-site, research endeavor.

Diaz, M.T. & McCarthy, G. (In Press). Unconscious word processing engages a distributed network of brain regions. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Diaz, M.T. & Swaab, T.Y. (2007). Electrophysiological differentiation of phonological and semantic integration in word and sentence contexts, Brain Research, 1146, 85-100. Pub Med ID: 16952338

Schwartz, A.I, Kroll, J.F., & Diaz, M.T. (2007). Reading words in Spanish and English: Mapping orthography to phonology in two languages. Language and Cognitive Processes, 22:1, 106 - 129

Robertson, B., Wang, L., Diaz, M.T., Aiello, M., Gersing, K., Beyer, J., Mukundan, S., McCarthy, G., & Doraiswamy, P.M. (2007). Effect of Bupropion XL on Negative Emotion Processing in Major Depression: A Pilot Functional MRI Study, The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68(2), 261-267. Pub MedID: 17335325

Diaz, M.T. & McCarthy, G. (Submitted). Neural substrate of implicitly processed words: an fMRI investigation of content, function, and non- words.

McCarthy, G., Diaz, M.T., Marion, B., & Morris, J. (Submitted). Face and Object Processing in the Ventral Occipitotemporal Cortex: A Comparison of Intracranial ERP Recordings and Functional MRI.