Altona Tufanoglu

University of Pennsylvania | UP · Department of Psychiatry

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a significant public health concern, with over 30% failing available treatment. Severe SUD is characterized by drug-cue reactivity that predicts treatment-failure. We leveraged this pathophysiological feature to personalize deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens region (NAc) in an SUD patient. While...

Background Challenges with social functioning, which is a hallmark of opioid use disorder (OUD), are a drawback in treatment adherence and maintenance. Yet, little research has explored the underlying mechanisms of this impairment. Impulsivity, a known risk factor for OUD, and corresponding neural alterations may be at the center of this issue. Chi...

Spatial cognition plays a crucial role in academic achievement, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. Immersive virtual environments (VRs) have the growing potential to reduce cognitive load and improve spatial reasoning. However, traditional methods struggle to assess the mental effort required for visuo...

This study investigates prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns during executive control tasks in children with Down syndrome (DS) compared to typically developing (TD) children using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

This study takes a closer look at the prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns during e-gaming sessions, aiming to elucidate the intricate cognitive dynamics and expertise levels inherent in e-gaming performance.

This study uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore the impact of task load on Verbal and Spatial working memory (WM) in the prefrontal cortex of typically developing children.