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Theodore Zanto, Ph.D.
Address:
UCSF MC 2512
Mission Bay – Byers Hall Room 102C
1700 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94158-2330
email: theodore.zanto@ucsf.edu
lab: 415-476-2164
fax: 415-514-4451
web: (coming soon)
Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Biography: Ted was born in Milwaukee, WI and attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) with a semester abroad at the HEAO-Arnhem in the Netherlands. Ted earned two Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Psychology and Physics with minors in General Business and Mathematics. While at UWW, Ted took on a full-time job as a live-in counselor for the physically and mentally handicapped. During his 5 years as a counselor, he became fluent in sign language, and learned much about phamacology.
At UWW, Ted directed his coursework toward understanding human cognition with the overall goal that someday he might contribute to improving the quality of life in afflicted populations. Ted's physics coursework included some electrical engineering and an independent study in robotics that allowed him to utilize his understanding of human sensory systems. Ted's psychology coursework included some neuroscience and he worked in an electrophysiology lab where he was able to apply his skills in electrical engineering as he built electrodes and an amplifier to conduct single-cell recordings in rats.
Ted pursued further education through graduate studies and research at Florida Atlantic Univerisity (FAU) where he received a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences. Ted conducted several electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments on the perception of auditory rhythms as rhythm is a fundamental component of cognition. Moreover, his graduate work allowed him to incorporate mathematical modelling of neural activity to better understand perception. In addition to Ted's coursework and research, he was the network administrator for his lab, a teaching assistant, and he tutored undergraduate and graduate students. Through teaching and tutoring, Ted realized that helping people learn can be just as fulfilling as helping others cope with day-to-day life.
Research Description: Ted's research revolves around the characterization of neural networks that encompass attention, memory and the sensory systems. The interaction of these domains form the basis of perception and may define the quality of life. Severe dysfunction of any aforementioned domain is often associated with dementia in the elderly or psychosis in the mentally handicapped. Thus, extreme cases of network dysfunction may commit the impaired to the care of others while more moderate and mild cases vary the degree of difficulty to function in society. Ted's concern is to understand the basic mechanisms that underlie network structure, function and hence, dysfunction. An understanding of these mechanisms may enable the deveolpment of techniques or technologies to better help those affected.
Publications:
Zanto, T.P., Chapin, H., Large, E.W. (In Preparation). Neuroelectric and BOLD correlates to rhythmic encoding.
Zanto, T.P., Jantzen, K.J., Large, E.W., Fuchs, A. (In Preparation). Functional magnetic resonance imaging noise concerns: an EEG/fMRI study.
Zanto, T.P., Snyder, J.S., Large, E.W. (2006). Neural correlates of rhythmic expectancy. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 2(2-3), 221-231.
Zanto, T.P., Large, E.W., Fuchs, A., Kelso, J.A.S. (2005). Gamma-band responses to perturbed auditory sequences: Evidence for synchronization of perceptual processes. Music Perception, 22(3), 535-552.
Zanto, T.P., Large, E.W., Fuchs, A., Kelso, J.A.S. (2004). Gamma band activity during perturbed tone sequences: An EEG study. International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition, Evanston, IL.
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