Education
– Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles (2006-2012)
– B.S. Highest Honors, Neuroscience | Anthropology, Emory University (2005)
Specialized training
– Summer Institute in Cultural Neuroscience, UM Center for Culture, Mind, and Brain (2010)
– UCLA Neuroimaging Training Program trainee (2008 – Present)
– FSL and Freesurfer neuroimaging software training course (2008)
– UCLA Neuroimaging Summer School (2008)
– UCLA Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Laboratory training and certification (2007)
– FPR-UCLA Culture Brain and Development Program trainee (2006 – 2012)
Peer-reviewed publications
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. (In Preparation) Both physical and non-physical similarity modulate neural activity during imitation: effects of political ideology and race.
Cross, K. A., Torrisi, S., Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M. (Invited Resubmission) Controlling automatic imitative tendencies: Interactions between cognitive control and mirror neuron systems. Neuroimage.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Cross, K., Dapretto, M. (In Press) Neural processing of race during imitation: self-similarity versus social status. Human Brain Mapping.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Martin, A., Dapretto, M. (2012a) Own-gender imitation activates the brain’s reward circuitry. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsr055
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Martin, A., Dapretto, M. (2012b) Race modulates neural activity during imitation. NeuroImage. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.10.074.
Losin, E. A. R., Dapretto, M., Iacoboni, M. (2010). Culture and neuroscience: Additive or synergistic. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. doi:10.1093/scan/nsp058.
Losin, E. A. R., Dapretto, M., Iacoboni, M. (2009). Culture in the mind’s mirror: How anthropology and neuroscience can inform a model of the neural substrate for cultural imitative learning. Progress in Brain Research. 178:175-90.
Losin, E. A. R., Rivera, S.M., O’Hare E.D., Sowell, E. R., Pinter, J. D. (2009) Abnormal fMRI activation pattern during story listening in individuals with Down syndrome. American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability. 114(5):369-80.
Losin, E. A. R., Russell J.L., Freeman H., Meguerditchian A., Hopkins W.D. (2008) Left Hemisphere Specialization for Oro-Facial Movements of Learned Vocal Signals by Captive Chimpanzees. PLoS ONE 3(6): e2529. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002529
Hopkins, W.D., Russell, J.L., Freeman, H., Reynolds, E. A., Griffis, C., Leavens, D. A. (2006). Lateralized Scratching in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Evidence of a Functional Asymmetry During Arousal. Emotion. 6(4): 553-9.
Hopkins, W.D., Russell, J., Freeman, H., Buehler, N., Reynolds, E., Schapiro, S. (2005). The Distribution and Development of Handedness for Manual Gestures in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Psychological Science. 16(6): 487-493.
scientific talks
Losin, E. A. R., Chang, L., Wager, T. The doctor-patient relationship and pain perception. Invited talk to be given at the International Cultural Neuroscience Consortium meeting (2013) in Evanston, IL.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Race-related amygdala activity exhibits an ingroup bias during passive face viewing. Talk given at the Social and Affective Neuroscience meeting (2012) in New York.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Action alters perception: how imitation alters the neural encoding of race. Talk given at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (2011) in Washington, D. C.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Neural mechanisms of cultural learning: imitative biases for gender and race. Invited talk given at the University of Michigan Center for Culture, Mind, and Brain conference (2011) in Ann Arbor, MI.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Martin, A., Dapretto, M. Answering the ‘other’ question in cultural neuroscience: Theory and data on how culture gets into the brain. Talk given at the Social and Affective Neuroscience meeting (2010) in Chicago, IL.
Posters
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Mapping the neural correlates of cultural imitative learning. Abstract to be presented at the Social and Affective Neurosceince Meeting (2013) in San Fransisco, CA.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. In race erased? Knowledge of political ideology reduces influence of race on neural underpinnings of imitation. Abstract to be presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting (2013) in San Fransisco, CA.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Both physical and non-physical similarity modulate neural activity during imitation: effects of political ideology and race. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (2012) in New Orleans, LA.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Race modulates functional connectivity during imitation. Poster presented at the Organization of Human Brain Mapping meeting (2012) in Bejing, China.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M. Race modulates the neural underpinnings of imitation but self-similarity alone cannot explain differential activity. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting (2011) in San Francisco, CA.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Martin, A., Dapretto, M. Own-gender imitation activates the brain’s reward circuitry. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (2010) in San Diego, CA.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Nguyen, K., Morton, D., Dapretto, M. Racial attitudes influence the functional neuroanatomy of cultural imitative learning. Poster presented at the Organization of Human Brain Mapping meeting (2010) in Barcelona, Spain.
Losin, E. A. R., Iacoboni, M., Dapretto, M., (2010). Exploring the neural architecture of the similarity bias in cultural imitative learning. Poster presented at Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada.
Losin, E. A. R., Dapretto, M., Iacoboni, M. A novel paradigm for investigating the neural architecture of cultural imitative learning. Poster presented at the Primate Mind Workshop (2009) in Erice, Sicily.
Reynolds, E.A., Rivera, S.M., O’Hare, E. D., Sowell, E.R., Pinter, J. D. Deficient temporal lobe activity during passive story listening in individuals with Down syndrome. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (2007) in San Diego, CA.
Reynolds, E.A., Pinter, J. D., Koldewyn, K., Le, L., Backer, K., Tang, M., Rivera, S. M. Deficient intraperietal sulcus activity during number comparison in individuals with Down syndrome. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting (2007) in New York, NY.
Rivera, S., Henry, M., Crone, E., Reynolds, E., Herrera, A., Chen, I., van der Maas, H. Langer, J. Neural basis of protracted developmental changes in proportional reasoning. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting (2006) in San Francisco, CA.
Reynolds, E.A., Freeman, H, Russell, J. L., Hopkins, W.D. Oro-facial Asymmetry of voluntary and involuntary vocal signals in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Poster presented at the American Society of Primatologists meeting (2005) in Portland, OR.
Freeman, H., Russell, J. L., Shonka, S., Reynolds, E., Hopkins, W. D. Self-Recognition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a small, LCD screen. Poster presented at the American Society of Primatologists meeting (2005) in Portland, OR
Russell, J.L., Freeman, H., Reynolds, E., Hopkins, W.D. Lateralized Scratching in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Poster presented at the American Society of Primatologists meeting (2005) in Portland, OR.
Media Coverage
– Featured in 2011Society for Neuroscience meeting media materials as a “Hot Topic” for presentation on Action alters perception: how imitation alters the neural encoding of race
– Featured in Lende, D. (2010, November 26). Cultural neuroscience – culture and the brain. http://blogs.plos.org/neuroanthropology/2010/11/26/cultural-neuroscience—-culture-and-the-brain/
– Featured in Lee, C. (2010, March 11). A lesson in neuroscience? It’s a no-brainer. UCLA Today. http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/a-lesson-in-neuroscience-it-s-154973.aspx
– Interviewed for and featured in Azar, B. (2010). Your brain on culture. American Psychological Association Monitor on Psychology. 41(10): 44.http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/11/neuroscience.aspx
– Featured in Coturnix. (2008, June 28) New and exciting in PLoS ONE. http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2008/06/new_and_exciting_in_plos_one_41.php
Grants
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Research Grant (2012)
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Research Grant (2011)
– Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center Pilot Funding Award (2010)
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Research Grant (2010)
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Research Grant (2009)
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Research Grant (2008)
– Emory Scholarly Inquiry and Research Grant (2004)
– Faculty Science Council Undergraduate Research Grant (2003)
Fellowships
– UCLA Neuroimaging Training Program NIH Training Grant Fellowship (2009-2010)
– UCLA Quality of Graduate Education Special Course Fellowship (2008)
– UCLA Center for Culture Brain and Development Fellowship (2008-2009)
– UCLA Quality of Graduate Education Special Course Fellowship (2008)
– National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2006-2011)
– National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship (2005)
– Emory Scholars Summer Study Abroad Fellowship (2004)
– Center for Behavioral Neuroscience BRAIN Summer Research Fellowship (2004)
Other academic awards
– Brain Research Institute Society for Neuroscience Travel Award (2011)
– Phi Beta Kappa (2005)
– Lambda Alpha, anthropology honor society (2004)
– Nu Rho Psi, neuroscience and behavioral biology honor society (2002)
Research experience prior to Ph.D. dissertation
– Technician in lab of Dr. Susan Rivera, UC Davis, Center for Mind and Brain. Project: Using fMRI to investigate the neural underpinnings of receptive and productive language deficits in children and adolescents with Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. Responsibilities: task design; fMRI scanning & analysis; paper preparation and presentation (2005 – 2006)
– NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position with Dr. Janice Dickinson at Hastings Natural History Reservation. Project: Quantifying plumage asymmetries and visual responses to plumage coloration in the Western Bluebird. Responsibilities: breeding surveys; banding and blood collection; spectral analysis of bird coloration (2005)
– Honors thesis research in the lab of Dr. William Hopkins, Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Project: Investigating hemispheric control of chimpanzee facial expressions in emotional and communicative contexts. Responsibilities: study design; data collection and analysis; manuscript preparation and presentation (2004 – 2005)
– Research assistant in the lab of Dr. Frans de Waal, Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Project: Quantifying the use of multimodal communication in chimpanzees. Responsibilities: field observation; data collection; behavioral coding of video data (2003)
– Independent research project with Dr. Joe Henrich, Department of Anthropology, Emory University. Project: An ethnographic field study of attitudes towards ethnic and cultural diversity in Key West, Florida. Responsibilities: study design; IRB approval; informal and semi-structured interviews; participant observation (2003)
– Research assistant in the lab of Dr. Joe Henrich, Department of Anthropology, Emory University. Projects: Experimentally studying the foundations of economic norms in 16 small-scale societies; Exploring chimpanzee prosociality, and equity monitoring; Documenting protective Fijian food taboos. Responsibilities: participant recruitment, data entry, assistance in running behavioral experiments; coding behavioral data (2002- 2005)
Teaching and outreach
– Society for Neuroscience Brain Awareness Video Contest (2011)
– Teaching assistant for NS 205: Systems Neuroscience. Taught 3, 2-hour review / discussion sections (~30 student each); held weekly 2-hour office hours; helped prepare and administer 3 exams, graded all exams and review papers (Spring 2011)
– Brain demonstrations for elementary – high school students through UCLA Brain Awareness Week, Project Brainstorm, and UCLA Early Academic Outreach Program (2010, 2011)
– Mentored two UCLA undergraduates in fMRI and behavioral data collection, analysis, and paper and poster preparation (2009-2010)
– Gave 6 invited lectures to high school groups (biology classes and extra-curricular science organizations). Topics included my own research (various projects) and how to become involved in research as a high school or college student. (2006 – present)
– Undergraduate teaching fellow for Introduction to Neurobiology. Taught weekly 2-hour discussion sections (5 students); attended bi-weekly teaching workshops (Fall 2004)
Service
– California State Science Fair Judge (2011)
– Ad hoc reviewer for Neuron, NeuroImage, Progress in Brain Research, European Journal of Neuroscience (2009 – 2011)
– Curriculum committee member, Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program (2008 – 2009)
– Science fair judge, UCLA undergraduate neuroscience program (2008)
– UCLA Neuroscience Program recruitment weekend volunteer (2007 – 2011)
– Funding panel speaker, neuroscience graduate retreat (2007, 2008)
– Big sibling to incoming neuroscience graduate student (2007, 2008)
– Committee member, neuroscience graduate forum (2006-present)
Professional societies
– Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Society
– Organization of Human Brain Mapping
– Society for Neuroscience
– Cognitive Neuroscience Society