Dr Liana Machado
 Contact
Details
Tel 64 3 479 7622
Email liana@psy.otago.ac.nz
Strategic Control Over Eye Movement Reflexes and Attention
In order
to elucidate the dynamic interactions of cortical and subcortical
systems, I investigate strategic control over reflexes and
attention in both normal individuals and patients with unilateral
brain damage. The goal of my research is to develop
a biological framework for understanding automaticity and
control. With the evolution of more complex behaviour,
brain mechanisms for selective attention have emerged that
provide the organism with greater flexibility: to respond
to environmental events in one way under one set of circumstances,
a different way under another, to not respond at all, or to
delay a response pending further information. It is through
such mechanisms that past learning, motivation, and emotion
may influence behaviour. This selectivity of adaptive behaviour
is achieved through an orchestration of subcortical reflex
circuits by cortical processes, which can activate or inhibit
them. My research studies how cortical and subcortical circuits
are integrated to provide a continuity of experience and coherent
behaviour.
Arend, I., Machado, L., Ward, R., McGrath, M., Ro, T., &
Rafal, R. D. (2008). The role of the human pulvinar in visual
attention and action:evidence from temporal order judgments,
saccade decision, andantisaccade tasks. Progress in Brain
Research, 171, 475-483
Machado, L., Wyatt, N., Devine, A., & Knight, B. (2007).
Action planning in the presence of distracting stimuli: an
investigation into the time course of distractor effects.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, 33(5), 1045-1061.
Mari-Beffa, P., Hayes, A. E., Machado, L., & Hindle,
J. V. (2005). Lack of inhibition in Parkinson's disease: evidence
from a lexical decision task. Neuropsychologia, 43(4),
638-646.
Machado, L., & Rafal, R. D. (2004). Control of fixation
and saccades during an anti-saccade task: an investigation
in humans with chronic lesions of oculomotor cortex. Experimental
Brain Research, 156(1), 55-63.
Machado, L., & Rafal, R. D. (2004). Control of fixation
and saccades in humans with chronic lesions of oculomotor
cortex. Neuropsychology, 18(1), 115-123.
Rafal, R., McGrath, M., Machado, L., & Hindle, J. (2004).
Effects of lesions of the human posterior thalamus on ocular
fixation during voluntary and visually triggered saccades.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 75(11),
1602-1606.
Müller, N. G., Machado, L., & Knight, R. T. (2002).
Contributions of subregions of the prefrontal cortex to working
memory: evidence from brain lesions in humans. Journal
of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14(5), 673-686.
Rafal, R., Danziger, S., Grossi, G., Machado, L., &
Ward, R. (2002). Visual detection is gated by attending for
action: evidence from hemispatial neglect. Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences U S A, 99(25), 16371-16375.
Link to additional
publications
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