Research
Cognitive control involves choosing from among a set of actions or representations in order to achieve a certain goal or outcome. We use cognitive control to carry out a variety of tasks, from making a cup of coffee to remembering where the house keys are. The frontal lobes broadly support cognitive control; regions within the frontal lobe guide action selection, so that we add the coffee grounds before turning on the coffee maker. Regions within the frontal lobe also guide memory retrieval, so that we can still search for our keys even when limited external cues are available.
Our lab is interested in how the organization of the frontal lobe influences goal directed behavior, as well as dissociations and interactions between the frontal and medial temporal lobe regions in their contribution to memory function. In our research, we use a variety of methods to investigate these questions, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as well as behavioral testing of healthy adults and patient populations.
The Badre lab research is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The National Institute of Health and Brown University.