Christina Villanueva

Junior Specialist

Research Area

Cognition, Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience

Biography

Christina graduated with a B.S in Psychological and Brain Sciences from UCSB in 2023. Her academic journey is led by exploring the intricate neural underpinnings of symptoms associated with neurocognitive disorders. Specifically, her research interests center around the organization of the prefrontal cortex concerning cognitive control and emotion. Previously, she contributed to a collaborative project, ASAP, focusing on paradoxical kinesia and Parkinson's Disease, utilizing psychophysiological methods to examine emotion-motor interactions. She envisions pursuing a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, to explore the architectural network of the brain, and enthusiastic about investigating how affective processing influences cognitive functioning colored by emotional states. Her ultimate goal is to unlock valuable insights that unravel the dimensional origins of psychopathology, leading to the development of transformative treatments that alleviate symptoms linked to mental and neurocognitive disorders.