Hadas Okon-Singer PhD

My interest is in the mechanisms of neural plasticity and functional re-organization, as well as attention mechanisms. I am using a combined approach that includes fMRI, EEG/ERP and recordings from intracranial electrodes, with behavioral techniques, in healthy individuals and patients with epilepsy or other brain lesions. My study focuses on plasticity of language and visual attention in patients with epilepsy. I also study inter-hemispheric transfer of visual information in healthy individuals. In addition, I am interested in the neural mechanisms of emotional processing. In order to study this area, I am using fMRI and behavioral methods in healthy participants and patients with brain lesions.

My PhD research was concerned with how the emotional valence of visual stimuli influences the orienting of spatial attention. In addition, I carried out research dealing with the effects of practice on attentional effects, spatial attention in Huntington Chorea, gaze direction as an attentional cue, and attentional deficits in brain damaged patients.

Current position: Post-doctoral fellowship - Functional Brain Imaging Laboratory, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel - with Dr. Talma Hendler

homepage: http://www.cs.bgu.ac.il/~singern/hadas

email: hadasos@gmail.com

Recent Publications

  • Okon-Singer, H., Tzelgov, J., & Henik, A. (2007). Distinguishing between Automaticity and Attention in the Processing of Emotionally-Significant Stimuli. Emotion, 7, 147-157.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Alyagon, U., Kofman, O., Tzelgov, J., & Henik, A. (under review). Processing of Emotional Stimuli in Specific Phobia: No Modulation of Attention.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Kofman, O., & Henik, A. (under review). Emotional Modulation of Spatial Attention: The Effects of Emotional Pictures on Orienting of Attention.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Fernandez, J., Diaz, R., & Henik, A. (under revision). Volitional Versus Reflexive Orienting of Attention in Huntington's Disease.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Siman-Tov, T., Fried, I., Andelman, F., Peri, D., Mendelssohn, A., Schonberg, T., Ungerleider, L.G., & Hendler, T. (in preparation). Abnormal fear recognition unilateral amygdala patients: Looking at inverted faces.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Schwartz, D., Berger, A., Sapir, A., Shani, E., Ben-Mair, E., & Henik, A. (in preparation). Efficient Spatial Orienting of Attention and Early IOR in Pilots.

Recent Presentations

  • Okon-Singer, H. Podlipsky, I. Neufeld, M., Kipervasser, S., Yovel, G., Siman-Tov, T., & Hendler, T. (2007). Inter-Hemispheric Transfer of Visual Information: A Combined ERP-fMRI Study. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Neurology Society, Tel Aviv, December.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Podlipsky, I., Yovel, G., Siman-Tov, T., & Hendler, T. (2007). Knowing Left from Right: A Combined ERP-fMRI Study of Visuospatial Attention. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Society for Neuroscience, Eilat, November.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Tzelgov, J., Alyagon, U., Kofman, O., & Henik, A. (2007). Processing of emotional stimuli: is it really automatic and inattentive? Evidence from individuals with phobia and normal subjects. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Institute for Psychobiology in Israel, Jerusalem, March.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Tzelgov, J., & Henik, A. (2006). Attention modulates emotion: distinguishing between automaticity and attention in the processing of emotionally-significant stimuli. Talk given at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Israel Society for Biological Psychiatry, Hagoshrim, March.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Fernandez, J., Diaz, R., & Henik, A. (2006). Volitional Versus Reflexive Orienting of Attention in Huntington's Disease. Talk given at the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Society for Neuropsychology, Jerusalem, February.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Fernandez, J., Diaz, R., & Henik, A. (2006). Volitional Versus Reflexive Orienting of Attention in Huntington's Disease. Talk given at the Annual Meeting of the, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Beer-Sheva, February.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Kofman, O., Lerman, S. & Henik A. (2005). Emotional Modulation of Spatial Attention: The Effects of Emotional Pictures on Orienting of Attention. Poster presented at the 12th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New-York, April.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Kofman, O., Lerman, S., & Henik, A. (2004). The effects of Emotional Stimuli on Orienting of Attention. Poster presented at the 4th Borsellino College, Trieste, October.
  • Okon-Singer, H., Kofman, O., Lerman, S., & Henik, A. (2004). The effects of Emotional Stimuli on Orienting of Attention. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Society for Cognitive Psychology, Ramat-Gan, October.
  • Okon-Singer, H., & Henik, A. (2003). Effects of Emotional Stimuli on Orienting of Attention. Poster presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Vancouver, November.
  • Okon-Singer, H., & Henik, A. (2003). Spider or Flower: Which Do We Prefer? Behavioral Studies of Emotion and Attention. Talk given at the Zlotowski Seminar for Neuroscience.