The objective of this study is to assess efficacy of neurofeedback to train attention in reducing depressive symptoms. There are several aims for this study:
Demonstrate that real-time neurofeedback is more effective at reducing symptoms than random feedback.
Assess neural mechanisms of emotional regulation.
Determine whether positive or negative training stimuli are more effecctive in improving depressive symptoms.
My role
run the fMRI section of the study to assess the efficacy of neurofeedback training in relation to depressive symptoms.
Simplify and Standardize the current cloud-based Real-time fMRI software framework with two other software engineers by incorporating BIDS standard and OpenNeuro into the current pipeline.
Use PyTorch and PsyNeuLink to build computational models to understand the learning mechanisms underlying the real-time neurofeedback paradigm.
With the widespread of COVID-19, lots of research groups are unable to conduct in-person experiment. This website was developed to be a reliable, accessible, flexible, and secure online tool for researchers to easily collect behavioral data. Specifically, this website allows for researchers to execute well-known cognitive tasks for their own projects and studies. Researchers can pick specific cognitive tasks and questionnaires related to their research questions and setting. Individuals, be it researchers or study participants, can easily access behavioral tasks by clicking the website link, without installing any software or libraries. Go to the website.
My role
Developed the CogBrain web platform (frontend + backend) and built all behavioral tasks using HTML, CSS, and JS, PHP, MySQL.
Update new behaviral tasks and maintain the web platform
Past Projects
Age and Gender Effects on Risk-taking Behavior
General
This is an independent study project that aims to investigate the effects of age and gender on risky decision-making across the life span by using cognitive behavioral task BART and cognitive modeling on a large dataset.
My role
All stages of the project. Include but not limit to:
write proposal
build and design experiments
data collection using mobile web platform
data analysis using SPSS and R
write abstract
present work in a international conference
write manuscript for publication
Sleep Habits and Emotional Experiences Project (SHEEP)
General
This project examines the interplay between reward processing, actigraph-assessed sleep parameters, and well-being in college students.
My role
Conducted semi-structured clinical interviews (MINI) to assess stressful experiences and stress responses in adolescents and young adults.
Managed data by using Qualtrics.
Decision-making and Sensation Seeking
General
This study uses ERP with the balloon analogue risk task to investigate how individual differences in sensation seeking modulate brian responses to risk-taking with different potential reward/loss magnitude.
This study used fMRI to examine whether Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) patients will exhibit altered spontaneous brain activity as compared to healthy controls.
Perfusion imaging of fatigue and time-on-task effects from sustained mental workload in patients with Parkinson’s disease
General
In this study, we combined Arterial spin labeled(ASL) perfusion functional MRI with a sustained mental workload paradigm to examine the neural correlates of fatique and time-on-task effects in PD.
Paper
Paper is currently under peer review.
Test-retest reliability of CBF for accessing brain function at rest and during a vigilance task
General
This study investigated the comparative reliability of Arterial spin labeled(ASL) measures by doing scanning in a strictly controlled in-laboratory while at rest and during performing a simple and reliable psychomotor vigilance test.
Zhao, K., Deng, Y., Fang, Z., & Rao, H. (2018). Effects of Age and Gender on Risk-Taking Across the Life Span. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroeconomics Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Publications
Arya, N., Vaish, A., Zhao, K., Rao, H. (under review). Neural mechanisms underlying breast cancer related fatigue: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies
Mao, T., David, D., Yao, D., Zhao, K., Yang, Z., Lei, H., Fang, Z., Yang, F., Goel, N., Basner, M., Rao, H. (under review). Impaired vigilant attention partly accounts for inhibition control deficits after total sleep deprivation and partial sleep restriction
Wu, Q., Lei, H., Zhong, X., Jiang, Y., Deng, Y., Zhao, K., Chai, Y., Yang, F., Wang, J., Detre, J.A., Rao, H. (under review). Test-retest Reliability of Brain Small-world Network Properties from A Well-controlled Resting-state fMRI Study.
Lei, H., Huang, L., Li, J., Liu, W., Fan, J., Zhang, X., Xia, J., Zhao, K., Zhu, X., & Rao, H. (2020). Altered spontaneous brain activity in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Comprehensive psychiatry, 96, 152144. doi link
Xu, S., Luo, L., Xiao, Z., Zhao, K., Wang, H., Wang, C., & Rao, H. (2019). High sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcomes during decision-making under uncertainty. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(6), 1352-1363. doi link
Yang, F., Xu, S., Spaeth, A., Galli, O., Zhao, K., Fang, Z., Basner, M., Dinges, D.F., Detre, J.A., & Rao, H. (2019). Test-Retest Reliability of Cerebral Blood Flow for Assessing Brain Function at Rest and During a Vigilance Task. NeuroImage, 193, 157-166. doi link