User:Abelger

Aysenil Belger, PhD is Professor and the Director of Neuroimaging Research in Psychiatry, and Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Adjunct Professor in the Radiology Departtment at Duke University and the Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center. Aysenil Belger directs the Clinical Translational Core of the Carolina Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. She earned her B.S. in Psychology at Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, her MA and PhD in Physiological Psychology at The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Belger's Postdoctoral Training was taken at Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery and Biophysics, Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering, where she was an Assistant Professor until her move to UNC-CH. Her research focuses on studies of the cortical circuits underlying attention and executive function in the human brain, as well as the breakdown in these functions in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopment disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Dr. Belger combines functional magnetic resonance imaging, electrophysiological scalp recording, experimental psychology and neuropsychological assessment techniques to explore the behavioral and neurophysiological dimensions of higher order executive functions. Her most recent research projects have focused on electrophysiological abnormalities in young autistic children and children, adolescents and adults at high risk for schizophrenia. Her research also examines changes in cortical circuits and their physiological properties in children and adults at high-risk for psychotic disorders. In addition to her research program, Dr. Belger also teaches courses to residents, fellows, graduate and undergraduate students. These courses examine the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological correlates of higher cognitive functions in humans, the development of these processes and their breakdown in disease conditions. Dr. Belger has authored numerous articles relating to her field of expertise, and served on numerous Boards for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and Society for Biological Psychiatry.