Paul Hoffman

Specialized Computations for Generalized World Modelling in Medial Prefrontal Cortex

The paper investigates whether medial prefrontal cortex specialization is representational or computational, finding domain-invariant computations across spatial, social, and sequential domains.

Subclinical anxiety is associated with reduced self-distancing and enhanced self-blame-related connectivity between anterior temporal and subgenual cingulate cortices

This study links subclinical anxiety with increased self-blame and specific neural connectivity patterns involving the anterior temporal lobe and subgenual cingulate cortex during guilt memory reliving.

Fragmentation and Multithreading of Experience in the Default-Mode Network

The paper shows that three midline prefrontal cortical regions perform distinct predictive operations during naturalistic experiences, with results generalizing across sensory modalities and content.

Balancing Act: A Neural Trade-Off Between Coherence and Creativity in Spontaneous Speech

This study investigates the neural balance between coherence and creativity in spontaneous speech, finding a negative correlation between coherence and divergence, and identifying network interactions associated with each.

How do brain regions specialised for concrete and abstract concepts align with functional brain networks? A neuroimaging meta-analysis

Functional integration and segregation during semantic cognition: Evidence across age groups

This study examines how semantic cognition involves dynamic functional connectivity between core semantic brain regions across different age groups.

Verbal semantic expertise is associated with reduced functional connectivity between left and right anterior temporal lobes

The paper finds that higher verbal semantic expertise is linked to reduced functional connectivity between left and right anterior temporal lobes in resting-state fMRI data.

Distinctive and complementary roles of default mode network subsystems in semantic cognition

This study investigates how different subsystems of the default mode network (DMN) contribute to semantic cognition across various tasks and modalities, revealing distinct activation and deactivation patterns.

Representation of event and object concepts in ventral anterior temporal lobe and angular gyrus

The paper investigates how the ventral anterior temporal lobe and angular gyrus represent object and event concepts using fMRI and RSA, finding AG specializes in event semantics while vATL handles both.

A common neural code for meaning in discourse production and comprehension

The paper investigates neural codes for discourse meaning during production and comprehension, finding a shared semantic network with bilateral activation.

Age-related changes in the neural processing of semantics, within and beyond the core semantic network

This study investigates age-related changes in neural processing of semantics using fMRI, finding compensatory activation in right IFG and shifts in network engagement in older adults.

Modulation of brain activity by psycholinguistic information during naturalistic speech comprehension and production

This study investigates how psycholinguistic properties modulate brain activity during naturalistic speech comprehension and production using fMRI and PCA to identify latent language characteristics.

Representation of motion concepts in occipitotemporal cortex: fMRI activation, decoding and connectivity analyses

This study investigates how motion concepts are represented in the occipitotemporal cortex using fMRI, finding that motion-related activation and connectivity patterns differ between motion and static events.

Similar neural networks respond to coherence during comprehension and production of discourse

The paper investigates neural networks involved in discourse comprehension and production, finding similar activation patterns in default mode regions but task-specific effects in semantic control networks.

Perceptual and Semantic Representations at Encoding Contribute to True and False Recognition of Objects

The paper uses fMRI and representational similarity analysis to show that both perceptual and semantic representations contribute to true and false recognition of objects, with fine-grained features aiding accurate recall and coarse categories linked to forgetting.

Stimulus-independent neural coding of event semantics: Evidence from cross-sentence fMRI decoding

The paper shows that neural representations of event semantics generalize across sentence structures, while visual areas do not, suggesting semantic systems prioritize conceptual meaning over surface features.

Barking up the right tree: Univariate and multivariate fMRI analyses of homonym comprehension

This study uses univariate and multivariate fMRI analyses to investigate how the brain resolves homonym ambiguity, finding context-dependent coding in semantic regions and task-dependent control in the inferior frontal gyrus.

Revealing the neural networks that extract conceptual gestalts from continuously evolving or changing semantic contexts

This paper uses fMRI to identify neural networks involved in forming and updating semantic gestalts during narrative processing, revealing distinct roles for the anterior temporal lobe and fronto-parietal networks.

Reductions in prefrontal activation predict off-topic utterances during speech production

The paper investigates neural correlates of speech coherence in older adults using fMRI and computational linguistics, finding reduced prefrontal activation predicts off-topic speech.

Poor coherence in older people’s speech is explained by impaired semantic and executive processes

This study identifies semantic and executive factors explaining age-related declines in speech coherence using computational analysis of speech samples and cognitive measures.

An individual differences approach to semantic cognition: Divergent effects of age on representation, retrieval and selection

The paper examines age-related differences in semantic cognition, finding that older adults show preserved controlled retrieval but impaired semantic selection, suggesting distinct components of semantic processing.

Divergent effects of healthy ageing on semantic knowledge and control: Evidence from novel comparisons with semantically-impaired patients

This study compares semantic knowledge and control processes in young and older adults, finding that older adults struggle with controlled processing of weak semantic relationships.

Age-related changes in the neural networks supporting semantic cognition: A meta-analysis of 47 functional neuroimaging studies

This study uses a meta-analysis of 47 functional neuroimaging studies to examine age-related changes in neural networks supporting semantic cognition, finding a shift from semantic-specific to domain-general resources in older adults.