Interests & Expertise

A common scenario such as crossing a busy intersection vividly illustrates the complex series of events involved in successfully negotiating one's environment. One must encode and perceive sensory information from multiple modalities, attend to the most valid stimulus based on task demands, select the correct sensorimotor association, prepare the motor response and finally - act. Dr. Wendy Huddleston has studied various aspects of how humans select and process sensory information for movement preparation. Dr. Huddleston uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychophysical testing to address questions regarding the cortical mechanisms involved in motor selection during visually-guided goal-directed behavior. Specifically, she is currently developing protocols to measure both eye and hand movements within the MRI environment to correlate movement accuracy with variations in cortical activity.

Recent Publications

King, P., Darragh, A.R., & Huddleston, W.E. (2009). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders and Injuries: Differences among older and younger occupational and physical therapists. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 19(3):274 (DOI 10.1007/s10926-009-9184-1).

Aleksandrowicz, M.S., Yufa, A., & Huddleston, W.E. (2009). Identification of human parietal regions uniquely involved in motor attention using functional magnetic resonance imaging. 23rd National Conference on Undergraduate Research Proceedings, University of North Carolina at Asheville, in press.

Yufa, A., Aleksandrowicz, M.S., & Huddleston, W.E. (2009). Dissociation of motor attention from visual attention mechanisms. 23rd National Conference on Undergraduate Research Proceedings, University of North Carolina at Asheville, in press.

Huddleston, W.E., & Hoffman, K.L. (2008). Social cognition: LIP activity follows the leader. Current Biology, 18,8:R344-345.

Darragh, A.R., Huddleston, W.E., & King, P. (2008). Work-related musculoskeletal injuries and disorders among occupational and physical therapists. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(3):351-362.

Huddleston, W.E., Lewis, J.W., Phinney R.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2008). Auditory and visual attention-based apparent motion share functional parallels yet operate independently. Perception & Psychophysics, 70(7):1207-1216.

Huddleston, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2007). The representation of spatial attention in parietal cortex dynamically modulates according to performance, Cerebral Cortex, 18(6):1272-1280. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhm158.

Huddleston, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2003). First- and Second-Order Spectral "Motion" Mechanisms in the Human Auditory System. Perception, 32(9), 1141-9.

Nogueron, M.I., Porgilsson, B., Schneider, W.E., Stucky, C.L., & Hillard, C.J. (2001). Cannabinoid receptor agonists inhibit depolarization-induced calcium influx in cerebellar granule neurons. J. Neurochem., 79, 1-12.

Abstracts

Huddleston, W.E., Tully, R.P., & Smith, J.C. (2009). Changes in neural oscillations of human parietal cortex during a visuospatial-attention task. Program 188.11. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, October.

Aleksandrowicz, M.S., Knurr, C.R., & Huddleston, W.E. (2009). Isolation of motor-intention-specific regions of posterior parietal cortex. Program 188.1. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, October.

Yufa, A., Knurr, C.R., & Huddleston, W.E. (2009). Behavioral dissociation of visual attention and motor intention. Program 280.8. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Chicago, October.

Huddleston, W.E., Aleksandrowicz, M.S., & Yufa, A. (2008). Effect of visual attentional load on saccade accuracy. 18th Annual Meeting of Neural Control of Movement, 2008, Naples, Florida, May.

Huddleston, W.E., & Logothetis, N.K. (2006). Adaptation lengthens stimulus suppression time during binocular rivalry. Program 309.7, Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, October.

Huddleston, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2005). Differences in spatially-specific attentional modulation between human parietal cortex and extrastriate visual areas. Program 129.1, Society for Neuroscience, Washington D.C., November.

Huddleston, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2004). Behavioral modulation of visuospatial attention maps in human parietal cortex. Program 709.8, Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, October.

Huddleston, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2004). Two task-related topographic maps of visuospatial attention in human parietal cortex. Abstract TH49, Organization of Human Brain Mapping Annual Conference, Budapest, Hungary, June.

DeYoe, E.A., Brefczynski, J.A., Datta, R.B., & Huddleston, W.E. (2004). The expression and control of attentional topography in human visual cortex. Abstract TH28, Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Conference, Budapest, Hungary, June.

Schneider, W.E., Phinney, R.E., Lewis, J.W., & DeYoe, E.A. (2002). Attention-based apparent motion: An auditory analog of a visual phenomenon. Program 715.7, Society for Neuroscience, Orlando, October.

Schneider, W.E., Besharse, J.C., & DeYoe, E.A. (2001). Multiple "motion" mechanisms in audition? Program 166.17, Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, November.

Schneider, W.E., & DeYoe, E.A. (2001). Second-order "motion" in the auditory system. Abstract 4pPP17, Acoustical Society of America, Chicago, June.