How does the brain represent, store, and retrieve past experiences in memory?
I am a PhD student in the Phelps Lab at Harvard University supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowship. My research focuses on understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of memory.
I use modern neuroimaging techniques to investigate how representations of memory during encoding and consolidation processes evolve over time given subsequent retrieval and reconsolidation processes. By studying these mechanisms, I aim to shed light on why they so often go awry in progressive neurological pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease.
See my CV here.
Completed & ongoing projects.
Publications. Presentations.
Alexandra Kredlow, M., Fenster, R. J., Laurent, E. S., Ressler, K. J., & Phelps, E. A. (2021). Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-13. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01155-7
Roberts, A. C., Alzagatiti, J. B., Ly, D. T., Chornak, J. M., Ma, Y., Razee, A., ... & Glanzman, D. L. (2020). Induction of Short-Term Sensitization by an Aversive Chemical Stimulus in Zebrafish Larvae. eNneuro, 7(6). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0336-19.2020
Davidesco, I., Laurent, E., Valk, H., West, T., Dikker, S., Milne, C., & Poeppel, D. (preprint). Brain-to-brain synchrony predicts long-term memory retention more accurately than individual brain measures. BioRxiv, 644047. DOI: 10.1101/644047
Laurent, E., Chen, P., & Dikker, S. (2021, April). Tackling Some Key Methodological Challenges in EEG Hyperscanning Research. Talk presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (virtual).
Davidesco, I., Wallisch, P., Azeka, S., Valk, H., Laurent, E., Suzuki, W., Dikker, S. (2020, July). Brainwaves: Portable EEG in neuroscience undergraduate education. Poster to be presented at the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research 2020 Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Davidesco, I., Laurent, E., Valk, H., West, T., Dikker, S., Milne, C., Poeppel, D. (2019, October). Brain-to-brain synchrony predicts long-term memory retention more accurately than individual brain measures. Talk presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Davidesco, I., Laurent, E., Azeka, S., Valk, H., Dikker, S., Suzuki, W., (2019, October). Brainwaves: An EEG-based neuroscience program. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Dikker, S., Valk, H., Laurent, E., Morrison, D., Burgas, K., Azeka, S., Brooks, T., Suzuki, W., Davidesco, I., Poeppel, D. (2019, March). mindHIVE: An accessible cognitive neuroscience research platform for students and researchers. Talk and poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society 2019 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Works in progress.
Post-encoding cognitive load
2020 – present
Recently, we identified step-wise reduction in hippocampal activity as a function of increases in cognitive load during a working memory task. We plan to use this intervention to disrupt the encoding and consolidation processes and investigate its neural and behavioral consequences across time.
We examine the extent to which entrainment via audio-visual stimuli may lead to inter-subject neural synchrony, and whether social and affective factors influence such synchrony. We employ EEG, naturalistic video stimuli, and a within-subject group design.
Social watching
2019 – present
I also make art!
If you are interested in commissioning a piece for your lab space (or just something small for you or a nerdy friend), please send me an e-mail with your request and budget.
