Peter Molfese, Ph.D.
Scientist, Section on Functional Imaging Methods
Director of MRI Operations at UConn & Research Scientist at Haskins Laboratories
Affiliations: University of Connecticut, Haskins Laboratories, Columbia University Teachers College
Education
BA Computer Science & Psychology - DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
MA Psychology - University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Ph.D. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience - University of Houston, Houston, TX
Research Interest
My research investigates the effectiveness of school-based reading interventions to remediate reading disabilities in children. I use a variety of neuroimaging techniques (ERP, MRI) to identify brain differences between typically developing children and those with reading disabilities as well as how the brain changes in relation to improvements in reading abilities. My current research is also looking into areas of emotional intelligence through face perception, anxiety, and how the brain responds to insult (e.g. concussion) in college sports.
Representative Publications
Preston, J. L., Molfese, P. J., Frost, S. J., Mencl, W. E., Fulbright, R. K., Hoeft, F., Landi, N., Shankweiler, D., & Pugh, K. R. (In Press). Print-speech convergence predicts future reading outcomes in early readers. Psychological Science.
Preston, J. L., Molfese, P. J., Gumkowski, N., Sorcinelli, A., Harwood, V., Irwin, J., Landi, N. (2014). Neurophysiology of speech planning and programming differences in childhood apraxia of speech. Developmental Neuropsychology, 39(5), 385-403. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2014.939181.
Pugh, K. R., Frosts, S. J., Rothman, D. L., Hoeft, F., Del Tufo, S. N., Mason, G. F., Molfese, P. J., Mencl, W. E., Grigorenko, E. L., Landi, N., Preston, J. L., Jacobsen, L., Seidenberg, M. S., Fulbright, R. K. (2014). A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) study of typically and atypically developing beginning readers. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(11), 4082-4089. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI. 3907-13.2014
Preston, J. L., Molfese, P. J., Mencl, W. E., Frost, S. J., Hoeft, F., Fulbright, R. K., Landi, N., Grigorenko, E. L., Seki, A., Felsenfeld, S., & Pugh, K. R. (2014). Structural brain differences in school-age children with residual speech sound errors. Brain and Language, 128, 25-33. doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2013.11.001
Molfese, P. J., Fletcher, J. M., & Denton, C. A. (2013). Adequate versus Inadequate Response to Reading Intervention: An Event-Related Potentials Assessment. Developmental Neuropsychology, 38, 534-549.
Grant Involvement:
A40, A182, A202, A197