Maya Visser

visser@uji.es

Position

  • Ramon y Cajal researcher.

Bio

  • 2017 Post-doctoral researcher, Universidad Jaume I. Funded by the scholarschip Juan de la Cierva (MICINN).

  • 2012 Post-doctoral researcher, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. In collaboration with Universitat Jaume I.

  • 2010 PhD, University of Manchester, UK. Supervised by Prof. Matthew Lambon Ralph and Dr. Beth Jefferies.

  • 2005 Bachelor/Master in Psychology, University Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Research interests

  • Semantic memory

  • Temporal lobe epilepsy

  • Healthy brain

  • fMRI

My research currently focuses on semantic memory impairments in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. In patients with TLE, unilateral resection of the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is sometimes undertaken to control severe epilepsy. These patients suffer episodic memory problems due to hippocampal removal, which is well documented in the literature. However, the ATL also has an important function in semantic memory and it is therefore surprising that semantic impairments are less commonly described. We are currently developing a Spanish semantic battery to investigate the semantic impairments in resected TLE patients. In addition, I am using fMRI to investigate the semantic neural network in patients and the healthy brain.

Publications

  • 2018 Visser, M., Forn, C., Gómez-Ibáñez, A., Rosell-Negre, P., Villanueva, V., & Ávila, C. (2018). Accelerated long-term forgetting in resected and seizure-free temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Cortex. http://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.02.017

  • 2018 Visser, M., Forn, C., Lambon Ralph, M. A., Hoffman, P., Gómez Ibáñez, A., Sunajuán, A., … Ávila, C. (2018). Evidence for degraded low frequency verbal concepts in left resected temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Neuropsychologia, 114, 88–100. http://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.020

  • 2015 Humphreys, G., Hoffman, P., Visser, M., Binney, B., Lambon Ralph, M., Establishing task-and modality-dependent dissociations between the semantic and default mode networks. PNAS.

  • 2015 Morris*, L., Visser*, M., Ventura-Campos, N., Avila, C., Soto-Faraco, S. Top-down attention regulates the neural expression of audiovisual integration: an fMRI study. NeuroImage

  • 2013 Barrós-Loscertales*, A., Ventura-Campos*, N., Visser* , M., Alsius, A., Pallier, C., Avila, C., Soto-Faraco, S. Neural correlates of audiovisual speech processing a second language. Brain and language

  • 2013 Kaas, A.L., Van Mier, H., Visser, M., Goebel, R. Neural substrate of tactile working memory for fine surface texture. Human Brain Mapping

  • 2013 Noonan, K.A., Jefferies, E., Visser, M., Lambon Ralph, M. A. Going beyond inferior prefrontal involvement in semantic control: Evidence for the additional contribution of dorsal angular gyrus and posterior middle temporal cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

  • 2012 Visser, M., Jefferies, E., Embleton, K.V., Lambon Ralph, M. A. Both the middle temporal gyrus and the ventral anterior temporal area are crucial for multimodal semantic processing: Distortion-corrected fMRI evidence for a double gradient of information convergence in the temporal lobes. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

  • 2011 Visser, M., & Lambon Ralph, M. A. Differential contributions of the ventral anterior temporal lobe and the anterior superior temporal gyrus to semantic processes. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

  • 2010 Visser, M., Embleton, K.V., Jefferies, E., Parker, G.J., Lambon Ralph, M. A. (2010). The anterior temporal lobes and semantic memory clarified: Novel evidence from distortion-corrected fMRI. Neuropsychologia

  • 2010 Visser, M., Jefferies, E., Lambon Ralph, M. A.Semantic processing in the anterior temporal lobes: A meta-analysis of the functional neuroimaging literature. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

* The authors contributed equally to the study.