Department of
Psychological
and Brain Sciences

Educational Background

• 2002 - B.S. in Psychobiology; SUNY Binghamton
• 2007 - Ph.D. in Neurosciences; University of California, San Diego
• 2007 to 2012 - Postdoctoral Scholar in Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology

Areas of Study

• Cognitive neuroscience

Research Topics

• Social Neuroscience
• Autism Spectrum disorders
• Social Perception
• Eye tracking
• Brain Connectivity
• Functional MRI

Research Summary:

My research focuses on the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying human social behavior, and how these mechanisms break down in individuals with autism -- a neurodevelopmental disorder that features impaired social functioning. Research methods include eye tracking, functional neuroimaging, and behavioral and cognitive testing, and study populations include healthy children and adults, individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and patients with localized brain lesions.

Representative Publications

Tyszka, J.M., Kennedy, D.P., Adolphs, R., & Paul, L.K. (2011). Intact bilateral resting-state networks in the absence of the corpus callosum. Journal of Neuroscience. 31: 15154-15162.

Kennedy, D.P., & Adolphs, R. (2011). Neurobiology and Genetics: Amygdala. Chapter in Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Fred R. Volkmar (Ed.).

Kennedy, D.P., & Adolphs, R. (2010). Impaired fixation to the eyes following amygdala damage arises from abnormal bottom-up attention. Neuropsychologia, 48(12): 3392-3398.

Kennedy, D.P., Gläscher, J., Tyszka, J.M., Adolphs, R. (2009). Personal space regulation by the human amygdala. Nature Neuroscience. 12: 1226-1227.

Kennedy, D.P. & Courchesne, E. (2008). Functional abnormalities of the default network during self- and other-reflection in autism. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 3:177-190.

Kennedy, D.P. & Courchesne, E. (2008). The intrinsic functional organization of the brain is altered in autism. Neuroimage. 39: 1877-85.

Redcay, E., Kennedy, D.P., & Courchesne, E. (2007). Functional MRI during natural sleep as a method to study early functional brain development. Neuroimage. 38: 696-707.

Kennedy, D.P. & Squire, L.R. (2007). An analysis of calendar performance in two autistic calendar savants. Learning & Memory. 14: 533-8.

Kennedy, D.P.*, Redcay, E.*, Courchesne, E. (2006). Failing to deactivate: Resting functional abnormalities in autism. PNAS. 103: 8275-80. (* = co-first authors)