Todd Allen
Degree
BA 1991 Psychology. North Carolina State University
Ph.D. 2000 Neural Science / Psychology. Indiana University
My Area of Interest
Specialization: Behavioral Neuroscience
My primary area of interest involves the brain substrates of learning and memory. My primary research currently involves an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. This work involves testing the effectiveness of various therapies to reverse learning deficits produced by a diet including copper and cholesterol. Therapies such as pomegranate juice, as a rich source of anti-oxidants, have been tested recently.
My other major research interests involve metacognitive tutoring. This work is a collaborative effort between myself, Dr. Nancy Karlin from Psychological Sciences and Dr. Francie Murry from Special Education.
I have also recently developed another research interest in which the touch sensitivity of tattoos is tested. This work was an offshoot of a sensory demonstration for the physiological psychology lab class.
My Teaching Philosophy
My recent classes at UNC have included PSY 341 Principles of Learning, PSY 380 Introduction to Physiological Psychology, PSY 443 Motivation, and PSY 481 Advanced Physiological Psychology. . In each of these classes I try to incorporate real world examples as well as examples from my research experiences.
My Latest Professional Activity
Based on my Alzheimer’s work I was selected as a Research Enrichment Development Initiative (REDI) fellow by the UNC Sponsored Programs and Academic Research Center (SPARC). This program is a two year grant writing program.
I am actively involved with undergraduate and graduate students in conducting research and presenting our research at various conference presentations. I regularly attend and present at Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, The Pavlovian Society, and the Society for Neuroscience.
My most exciting research finding that tattoos has less sensitivity to touch than corresponding non-tattooed body locations was presented as a poster at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Oct. 2006. My presentation was selected for inclusion in the Press Guide for the conference and was reported in the popular media by journals and scientific websites.
Here are some recent presentations I have made. For a complete list of publications and presentations see the curriculum vitae link.
- Allen, M.T. (2007) Do Tattoos Alter Two-Point Touch Discrimination?Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Denver, CO.
- Mckinney, C.J., & Allen, M.T. (2007) Pomegranate Juice Reverses Alzheimer-like Cognitive Impairments in Copper-Cholesterol Fed Rabbits. Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Denver, CO.
- Allen, M.T., Murry, F.R., & Karlin, N.J. (2006) Undergraduate tutoring of elementary and middle school students using metacognitive strategies for solving math story problems. Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, HI.