David Leopold

Dr. David Leopold is a Senior Investigator and Chief of the Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) within NIH. He directs the Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, a joint core facility sponsored by NIMH, NINDS, and NEI. His research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception and consciousness.

Key research areas include:

• Large-scale brain activity in visual perception
• Neural mechanisms of stimulus visibility
• Perceptual interpretation vs physical stimuli
• Social stimulus processing in primate brains
• Neural plasticity during visual learning

His laboratory combines behavioral, neurophysiological, and fMRI measurements with pharmacological manipulations to study functional circuitry. Recent publications examine primate white matter architecture, neuronal plasticity, and face processing networks.

Technical innovations include:

• Special microelectrodes for longitudinal neuron tracking
• Integration of diffusion-weighted MR imaging
• Multi-modal experimental designs