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Carlos Andrés Mugruza Vassallo

Postgraduate Student

camugrazavassallo

Contact Details:
Email: Carlos Andrés Mugruza Vassallo
Telephone No: (+44)(1382) 384926

Postal Address:
School of Psychology
The University of Dundee
Dundee
DD1 4HN
Scotland, UK

 

Supervisor: Douglas Potter
Co-supervisors: Guillaume Rousselet (University of Glasgow), Cyril Pernet (University of Edinburgh)
Current research: Spatial and temporal imaging of attention reorienting mechanisms
http://www.sinapse.ac.uk/phdprojects/mugraza-phdproject.pdf

 

Interests

General: Understand at different levels computations in cognitive-dynamic mechanisms.

Specific and current: Study dynamics in attention. Currently, I am finishing with the analysis of orienting responses in controls and schizophrenic data in an oddball number decision parity task. The idea was to study functional imbalance of activity levels in attention reorienting networks between the left and right hemisphere with general linear model in EEG. Moreover, we have found the stimulus properties are strongly marking some feature in the P3a wave. Because of this, we have set up a simultaneous EEG fMRI to find the areas activated when particular activation of P3a are on a particular period of time. And more recently we are playing with temporal stimulus properties to study the boundary between alerting and orienting of attention. So, I'd like to understand how brain areas/networks are involved in reorienting attention mechanisms and specifically, temporal and spatial brain mechanisms and have a better dynamic insight in the theories of attention.

Biography

I have born in Huacho (Peru), near to possibly the oldest city in America (see at http://www.caralperu.gob.pe/nueva/civilizacion_ing.htm ). When I was child I won some mathematic competitions (at that time I felt admiration by Greek mathematics and Leonardo Da Vinci). Subsequently, as a result of reading biographies of Leeuwenhoek and Newton I became interested in applying my math skills to scientific questions. Later, I move to Lima to study electronic systems and I obtained a First class honours degree in Electronic Engineering. Then, I became involved in the development of medical equipment (see GIDEMS group at www.pucp.edu.pe/grupo/gidems/ ) modelling and I designed a sensor and some experiments in pneumatic pipes to be used in respiratory devices. My main contribution was to insert thermodynamics and compressibility of the gas to make the analysis. I enjoyed working in this large research group to develop a respiratory device, and collectively we develop a new flow sensor (patent granted). After, I studied computational neuroscience in Sao Paulo (Brazil, see LEB at http://www.leb.usp.br/ ), I obtained a graduate degree (Master Science degree with GPA 3,9 of 4,0) while I became involved in a dissertation about modelling motor unit action potentials, and I worked also geometry and mathematics to model the motor units (i.e. the motoneuron when innervate a group of muscle fibers and how it could be recording), we took some recording and I used the data to produce a theoretical model (in which my main contribution was to insert spatial geometry at muscle fiber analysis, that I thought mainly in a short Christmas vacations). Later, I went to Peru to work 2 years in the Peruvian Patent Office as a patent examiner, in the technical examination of G and H international patent classifications, to pay my previous studies. From there, I produced reports in this time, one of them was about Patents in Neuroscience (presented at ECI 2009 conference), the finding is that schizophrenia and Alzheimer disease is the most subjects granted in patents of Neurobiology, at least in the patent offices at US (USPTO), Europe (EPO) and Peru (INDECOPI). Now, I am starting to study the brain at theoretical and experimental level with cognitive electrophysiology and neuroimaging (see SINAPSE at http://www.sinapse.ac.uk/phdprojects/mugraza-phdproject.pdf ) with Douglas Potter (Dundee), Cyril Pernet (Edinburgh), and Guillaume Rousselet (Glasgow). I am interested in the development of new biomarkers of cognitive function in Schizophrenia as well as other disorders such as depression and mild cognitive impairment, providing a better understanding of the role of the stimulus-driven system in switching between goal-driven and default processing modes. Currently, I have started to study the processes involved attention mechanisms and multi-modal imaging inference, and with this basis we expect to make up experiments and model one reorienting attention mechanism.

Publications – Conference Posters

Publications – Conference Papers

Publications – Non peer review journal

Patent Applications

Qualifications and Role

M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering inside Telecommunication and Control Department at Electronic Systems at University of São Paulo (USP) – Dissertation Title: Mathematical modeling and simulation of motor unit action potentials. (Advisor: André Fabio Kohn) June 23, 2006 Master Degree in Electronic Systems with mention in Biomedical Engineering with GPA = 3,9 / 4,0

Professional degree

Undergraduate dissertation title: Analysis, design and testing of flow gases transducer (Advisor: Willy E. Carrera Soria) July 3, 2001 Degree in Electronic Engineer with Honours.
B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering at Pontifical Catholic University of Perú, Lima, Perú. (1995 - 2000)

Teaching

Prizes and Funding

At the PhD in the University of Dundee:

At the teaching at Technological University of Peru (UTP):

At the MSc in the University of Sao Paulo (USP):

At the teaching assistant at PUCP:

At the university under-graduated: Bachelor degree at PUCP

At the high school:

Training Courses and Workshops

 

At the PhD in the University of Dundee:

At the teaching at Technological University of Peru (UTP):

At the MSc in the University of Sao Paulo (USP):

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