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Professor: cognitive neuropsychology, written language (reading and spelling), spoken language production, attention and spatial reference frames, somatosensory reorganization and fMRI of language recovery subsequent to neural injury		Brenda Rapp
			Research Interests
			CogNeuro Lab
			Representative Publications
			Courses
			Other Affiliations
			Education & Experience
			Contact Information
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Research Interests
Cognitive neuropsychology, written and spoke word processing, cross-modal attention, somatosensory representation, spatial frames of reference, functional neuroimaging of language recovery subsequent to neural injury.

Words....Even a single word has great power to inform or provoke us. My primary research interests lie in furthering our understanding of the cognitive processes and neural substrates that support written and spoken word comprehension.

At a cognitive level, this work includes examining questions such: To what extent are phonological orthographic, semantic and syntactic processing independent from one another? If they interact, at what level of processing and in what manner? Most of this work involves the detailed examination of the language performance of individuals who have suffered neural injury (typically from stroke) that has affected language functions. These cognitive neuropsychological data provide a "window" into the organization and internal structure of lexical processing mechanisms.

At the neural level, I am investigating the neural changes that support recovery of language function in cases of neural injury. This work is directed at furthering our understanding of neural plasticity, specifically with regard to language substrates. This research involves using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to investigate the brain changes that take place during the course of behavioral treatment for language disorders.

In addition to my interest in the cognitive and neural bases of lexical representation and processing, I also carry out cognitive neuropsychological research on cross-modal attention, somatosensory representation/reorganization and spatial frames of reference.

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Representative Publications

Rapp, B. (Ed.) (2001). : A Handbook of Cognitive Neuropsychology What Deficits Reveal about the Human Mind/Brain. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Goldrick, M. & Rapp, B.  (2007). Lexical and Post-lexical representations in spoken production.  Cognition, 102, 219-260.

Rapp, B. & Goldrick, M.  (2006).  Speaking words:  Contributions of cognitive neuropsychological research.  Cognitive Neuropsychology, 23 (1), 39-73.

McCloskey, M., Macaruso, P. & Rapp, B.  (2006).  Grapheme-to-lexeme feedback in the spelling system:  Evidence from a dysgraphic patient.  Cognitive Neuropsychology, 23 (2), 278-307.

Buchwald, A. & Rapp, B.  (2006).  Consonants and vowels in orthographic representation.  Cognitive Neuropsychology, 23(2),  308-337.

Rapp, B.  (2005). The relationship between treatment outcomes and the underlying cognitive deficit:  evidence from the remediation of acquired dysgraphia.  Aphasiology, 10/11, 994-1008.

Tainturier, M.J. & Rapp, B.  (2004).  Complex graphemes as functional spelling units: Evidence from acquired dysgraphia.  Neurocase, 10, 122-131.

Hillis, A., & Rapp, B.  (2004). Cognitive and neural substrates of written language comprehension and production. In, M.  Gazzaniga (Ed.), The New Cognitive Neurosciences, 3rd Edition.

Rapp, B. & Goldrick, M.  (2004).  Feedback by any other name is still interactivity: A reply to Roelofs= comment on Rapp & Goldrick (2000).  Psychological Review.

Tainturier, M.J. & Rapp, B.  (2003).  Is a single graphemic buffer used in reading and spelling? Aphasiology, 17 (6/7), 537-562.

Rapp, B. & Hendel, S. K. (2003). Principles of cross-modal competition: Evidence from deficits of attention. Psychological Bulletin and Review, 100, 210-219.

Rapp, B. (2002). Uncovering the cognitive architecture of spelling. In A. Hillis (Ed.), Handbook on Adult Language Disorders: integrating Cognitive Neuropsychology, Neurology and Rehabilitation. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Rapp, B. & Caramazza, A. (2002). Selective difficulties with spoken nouns and written verbs: A single case study. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 15, 373-402.

Rapp, B., Epstein, C. & Tainturier, M.J. (2002). The integration of information across lexical and sublexical processes in spelling. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 19, 1-29.

Rapp, B., Hendel, S. & Medina, J. (2002). Remodeling of somatosensory hand representations subsequent to cerebral lesions in adult humans. NeuroReport, 13, 1-5.

Rapp, B. & Kane, A. (2002). Remediation of deficits affecting different components of the spelling process. Aphasiology, 16, 439-454

Goldrick, M. & Rapp, B. (2002). A restricted interaction account (RIA) of spoken word production:The best of both worlds. Aphasiology, 16, 20-55. Rapp, B. (2001). What Deficits Reveal about the Human Mind/Brain: A Handbook of Cognitive Neuropsychology. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Rapp, B. & Folk, J. (2001). Reading words. In B. Rapp (Ed.), What Deficits Reveal about the Human Mind/Brain: A Handbook of Cognitive Neuropsychology. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Rapp, B. & Gotsch, D. (2001). Cognitive theory in clinical practice. In R. Berndt (Ed.), Handbook of Neuropsychology, second edition. Volume 2 (Language). Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers. .

Rapp, B. & Goldrick, M. (2000). Discreteness and interactivity in spoken word production. Psychological Review, 107, 460-499.

McCloskey, M. & Rapp, B. (2000). Attention-referenced visual representations: Evidence from impaired visual localization. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26, 917-933.

McCloskey, M. & Rapp, B. (2000). A visually-based developmental reading deficit. Journal of Memory and Language, 43, 157-181.

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Courses

050.203 Exploring the living Brain (Cognitive Neuroscience)
050.306 Laboratory in Cognitive Neuropsychology
050.311 Reading and Writing: Normal Processing and Disorders
050.366 Laboratory in the Experimental Study of Cognition
050.601 Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Cognitive Neuropsychology
050.602 Topics in Cognitive Neuropsychology
050.603 Lexical Processing
050.604 Cognitive Neuroscience
050.606 Cognitive Neuropsychology of Language
050.802 Research Seminar in Cognitive Processes

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Other Affiliations

Associate Professor (Joint Appointment), Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Associate Professor (Joint Appointment), Department of Neuroscience
Associate Member of Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute
Editorial board of Cognitiva.

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Education & Experience

Ph.D., Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, 1990

2003- Professor. Cognitive Science Department, Johns Hopkins University.
2000-2003 Associate Professor. Cognitive Science Department, Johns Hopkins University.
1994-2000 Assistant Professor. Cognitive Science Department, Johns Hopkins University.

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Contact Information

e-mail: rapp@cogsci.jhu.edu
Phone: (410) 516-5248
Fax:(410) 516-8020
Office: 135 Krieger Hall
Lab: 131A/B Krieger Hall; (410)516-5244
Lab Assistant: 131C; (410)516-5253
Office hours: By Appointment
Mailing address: