• PhD, The University of Western Ontario

Chris McNorgan directs the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN) laboratory, which uses fMRI, computational modeling, and behavioral studies to explore the neural bases of cognition. This research explores how the brain’s wiring shapes how we think, primarily in the context of two domains: Multisensory Semantic Processing, which refers to thinking about concepts with respect to the 5 senses; and Reading, which is a highly-practiced skill that maps printed symbols into words that we hear in our heads. Both activities require cooperation and communication across a network of functionally specialized brain regions, and both can be impacted by damage to the brain or by developmental learning disorders that affect how brain regions communicate. Understanding the relationships between brain connectivity and behavior can improve our models of human cognitive processes and help better understand and treat disorders that arise when this connectivity is disrupted. Lab members gain expertise with programming languages, mathematical modeling and neuroimaging methods and analysis.

• McNorgan, C. (2021). The connectivity fingerprints of highly-skilled and disordered reading persist across cognitive domains. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 11
• McNorgan, C., Smith, G.J., & Edwards, E.S. (2020). Integrating functional connectivity and MVPA through a multiple constraint network analysis. Neuroimage, 208, 116412. 
  
• McNorgan, C. Judson, C., Handzlik, D., & Holden, J.G. (2020). Linking ADHD and Behavioral Assessment Through Identification of Shared Diagnostic Task-Based Functional Connections. Frontiers in Physiology, 1595
• Randazzo, M., Greenspon, E.B., Booth, J.R., & McNorgan, C. (2019). Children with reading difficulty rely on unimodal neural processing for phonemic awareness. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 390
• Edwards, E.S., Burke, K., Booth, J.R., & McNorgan, C. (2018). Dyslexia on a continuum: A complex network approach. PLoS One 13 (12), e0208923
• Smith, G.J., Booth, J.R., & McNorgan, C. (2018). Longitudinal task-related functional connectivity changes predict reading development. Frontiers in Psychology 9, 1754