Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Farshad Mansouri obtained BSc. In Biology (Zoology), MSc. In Medical Physiology and PhD in Neurophysiology. He joined Cognitive Brain Mapping laboratory at RIKEN Brain Science Institute (Wako, Japan) in 1997. Since 1997 he has been investigating the neural basis of executive control and cognitive flexibility by establishing a close animal analog of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The WCST is a multi-faceted test which is routinely used in clinic to assess cognitive flexibility. Patients with prefrontal cortex damage or psychological disorders such as schizophrenia show impairment in the WCST performance. Farshad was a staff scientist at RIKEN institute (2002-2012).
He joined the Physiology Department in October 2012. He has established a cognitive neuroscience laboratory to continue and expand his previous studies on the structure and function of the prefrontal cortex. Techniques used in his laboratory include behavioural and electrophysiology studies in animal models and psychophysical and brain stimulation studies in humans.
Current positions:
- He is the Director of Cognitive Neuroscience laboratory at Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Techniques used in his laboratory include behavioural studies and electrophysiology in animal models and psychophysical and brain stimulation studies in humans.
- He is a Visiting Scientist at RIKEN Institute in Japan and supervise an international joint project between Monash University and RIKEN Centre for Brain Science.
- He is an associate investigator at ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function.
His research has been focused on understanding the role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive flexibility and executive control of goal-directed behaviour. His cross-species studies have led to influential findings including two papers in Science magazine (2007 and 2009); three in Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2009, 2017, 2020); PNAS (2015); Journal of Neuroscience (2006, 2014a, 2014b, 2022); Cerebral Cortex (2020); two articles in American Journal of Primatology (2019, 2021), which is the highest ranked journal in primatology; and recent articles in Nature Communications (2024) and Brain (2024), which is one of the most influential journals in neurology and clinical neuroscience.
Main research goals:
In a changing environment we need to select the most appropriate behaviour-guiding rules to achieve our goals. We would like to study the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of such cognitive flexibility. We have implemented various techniques such as lesion-behavioural study, single-cell recording and non-invasive brain stimulation in humans and also in animal models to address these questions. Establishing animal models of cognitive tests for recruiting higher cognitive functions such as abstract rule implementation and executive functions has opened new chapters in investigating the neural basis of cognitive processes which previously was considered as exclusive faculties of human brain function
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Prefrontal cortex
- Executive control
- Cognitive flexibility
- Brain stimulation
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Designing streets for health: developing innovative methods and tools to make cycling safe, accessible and inclusive
Beck, B. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Kulic, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Caldwell Odgers, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pettit, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Winters, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Thompson, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pearson, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Guo, Y. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Bigazzi, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Puterman , E. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/24 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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The effects of early exposure to bushfires on adult brain structure and function
Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Atapour, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Carril Mundinano, I. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Majka, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rosa, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Egan, G. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Bourne, J. (Associate Investigator (AI))
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Australia)
1/08/22 → 31/07/26
Project: Research
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Transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation system
Coxon, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Egan, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bellgrove, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rosa, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fornito, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Verdejo-Garcia, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chong, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Hendrikse, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Biabani, M. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/10/21 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
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The neural basis of the cognitive effects of prefrontal cortex stimulation
Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Buckley, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Jaberzadeh, S. (Chief Investigator (CI))
30/04/19 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
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Portable Neurophysiological Assessment Suite
Bellgrove, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Egan, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rosa, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Yucel, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wilson Rajaratnam, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fornito, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cornish, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fitzgerald, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chong, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Johnson, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Morris, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rogasch, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Smith, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Sundram, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Srikanth, V. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/12/16 → 31/12/17
Project: Research
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Morphine exposure modulates dimensional bias and set formation in anthropoids
Ghasemian, S., Pascoe, A. J., Vardanjani, M. M., Haque, Z. Z., Ignatavicius, A., Fehring, D. J., Sheibani, V. & Mansouri, F. A., Feb 2024, In: Addiction Biology. 29, 2, 13 p., e13380.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Dimension of visual information interacts with working memory in monkeys and humans
Fehring, D. J., Pascoe, A. J., Haque, Z. Z., Samandra, R., Yokoo, S., Abe, H., Rosa, M. G. P., Tanaka, K., Yamamori, T. & Mansouri, F. A., Dec 2022, In: Scientific Reports. 12, 1, 15 p., 5335.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
Dissociable effects of music and white noise on conflict-induced behavioral adjustments
Pascoe, A. J., Haque, Z. Z., Samandra, R., Fehring, D. J. & Mansouri, F. A., 17 Aug 2022, In: Frontiers in Neuroscience. 16, 15 p., 858576.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Dynamic modulation of inhibition ability following repeated exposures to morphine in macaque monkey
Ghasemian, S., Vardanjani, M. M., Sheibani, V. & Mansouri, F. A., Oct 2022, In: Journal of Psychopharmacology. 36, 10, p. 1151-1160 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
3 Citations (Scopus) -
The effects of concurrent bilateral anodal tDCS of primary motor cortex and cerebellum on corticospinal excitability: a randomized, double-blind sham-controlled study
Behrangrad, S., Zoghi, M., Kidgell, D., Mansouri, F. & Jaberzadeh, S., Sept 2022, In: Brain Structure and Function. 227, 7, p. 2395-2408 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Enabling electrophysiological and behavioural studies of the role of the frontoinsular cortex in cognition
Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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'Enabling electrophysiological and behavioural studies of the role of the insula in cognition'
Alizadeh Mansouri, F. (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)