Ashley Walton, PhD
Ashley has a degree in Interaction Design and Cognitive Science as well as a PhD in Experimental Psychology, which focused on examining the interdependencies between humans and their environments using quantitative methods from nonlinear dynamical systems. Her post-doctoral work in Statistics, Philosophy and Neuroscience has cultivated a unique ability to leverage interdisciplinary efforts in service of tackling a wide range of different research problems in cognitive science. She is currently a fellow at both MGH and the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research, leading the initiative for engaging patients as partners in intracranial neuroscience research.
Current Projects
RNS Neurodynamics. Ashley is examining the relationship between changes in the seizure activity of epilepsy patients and spectral features of interictal activity recorded in different areas of the brain by the Responsive Neurostimulation Device (RNS).
Patient Engagement. Ashley leads the lab’s Patient Engagement program which focuses on creating opportunities to learn from patients about their experience participating in intracranial research studies, and how the lab’s research can help impact problems that are important to them.
Behavioral State Decoding. Patients implanted with intracranial electrodes in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) can participate in research tasks where they look at images, watch movies, smell scents and listen to sounds while their brain activity is recorded. This project investigates how continuous brain recordings can be used to distinguish between the different “behavioral states” defined by these perceptual tasks.
Pediatric Disparities in Epilepsy. This project is focused on understanding factors that contribute to racial disparities in access to neurosurgical interventions for epilepsy.