Monica Luciana Associate Professor N419 Elliott, (612) 626-0757 lucia003@umn.edu Education Ph.D., 1994, University of Minnesota

Statement of Interests

The focus of my research is to examine brain/behavior relationships in adults and children. Specifically, I am interested in the neurobiology of behaviors that are mediated by the brain's prefrontal cortex, including working memory, planning, and emotional control. My research program examines this area through several avenues: (a) Pharmacological studies of normal adults: Adults are administered drugs or natural compounds that activate selected neurotransmitter systems in the brain (e.g., dopamine and serotonin). While under the influence of these manipulations, cognition and emotional functions are examined to determine how the transmitters affect specific behaviors; (b) Studies of clinical populations with aberrations in either dopamine or serotonin pathways. We are currently studying Ecstasy users as compared with depressed people, as well as people with the genetic disorder, PKU; (c) Developmental studies in adolescents. The development of prefrontally-mediated cognitive behaviors is being studied in healthy adolescents, ages 9-21, in order to determine when adult levels are reached. We are focusing on differential development of the dorsolateral versus ventromedial prefrontal cortices.

Selected Publications

Luciana, M., & Collins, P.F. (1997). Dopaminergic modulation of working memory for spatial but not object cues in normal humans. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 9(3), 330-367.

Luciana, M., & Nelson, C.A. (1998). The functional emergence of prefrontally-guided working memory systems in four-to- eight year-old children. Neuropsychologia, vol. 36(3), 273-293.

Luciana, M., Collins, P.F., & Depue, R.A. (1998). Opposing roles for dopamine and serotonin in the modulation of spatial working memory functions of human prefrontal cortex. Cerebral Cortex, 8, 218-226.

Luciana, M., Lindeke, L., Georgieff, M., & Nelson, C.A. (1999). Neurobehavioral evidence for working memory deficits in school-aged children with histories of prematurity. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 41(8) 521-533.

Luciana, M., Sullivan, J., & Nelson, C.A. (2001). Associations between phenylalanine-to-tyrosine ratios and performance on tests of neuropsychological function in adults treated early and continuously for PKU. Child Development, 72(6), 1637-1652.

Nelson, C.A., & Luciana, M. (Eds). (2001). Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. MIT Press.

Luciana, M., Burgund, E.D., Berman, M., & Hanson, K.L. (2001). Effects of trytophan loading on working memory for spatial, verbal, and affective stimuli in healthy humans. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 15(4), 219-230.

Luciana, M., & Nelson, C.A. (2002). Assessment of neuropsychological function in children through the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB): Normative performance in 4 to 12 year-olds. Developmental Neuropsychology, 22(3), 595-624.

Burgund, E.D., Marsolek, C.J., & Luciana, M. (2003). Serotonin levels influence patterns of implicit memory. Neuropsychology, 17, 161-170.

Hanson, K., & Luciana, M. (2003). Neurocognitive function in recreational users of MDMA: The importance of clinically-significant patterns of use. Psychological Medicine, in press.