Charles Nelson, PhD

Professor of Pediatrics

Children's Hospital
Developmental Medicine Center Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience
1 Autumn Street
Boston, MA 02115
Telephone: 617-355-0401
Fax: 617-730-0518
Email: charles.nelson@childrens.harvard.edu
Website: The Charles Nelson Lab Page
Predocs: 1 Postdocs: 2 Completed PhD's: 32

Nelson’s research interests are broadly concerned with developmental cognitive neuroscience, an interdisciplinary field that requires expertise in developmental neuroscience and developmental psychology. His specific interests are concerned with the effects of early experience on brain and behavioral development, particularly as such experience influences the development of memory and the development of the ability to recognize faces.  Nelson studies both typically developing children and children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, and he employs behavioral, electrophysiological (ERP), and metabolic (MRI) tools in his research.

References:

• de Haan, M. & Nelson, C.A. (1999). Brain activity differentiates face and object processing in 6-month-old infants. Developmental Psychology, 35,1113-1121
• Nelson, C.A. (2000). Neural Plasticity and Human Development: The Role of Early Experience in Sculpting Memory Systems. Developmental Science, 3, 115-130.
• Nelson, C.A., Lin, J., Carver, L.J., Monk, C.S., Thomas, K.M., & Truwit, C.L. (2000). Functional neuroanatomy of spatial working memory in children. Developmental Psychology, 36, 109-116
• Pascalis, O., de Haan, M., & Nelson, C.A. (2002).  Is face processing species specific during the first year of life? Science, 296, 1321-1323.
• Pascalis, O., Scott, L.S., Kelly, D.J., Dufour, R.W., Shannon, R.W., Nicholson, E.,Petit, O., Coleman, M., & Nelson, C.A. (2005). Plasticity of Face Processing in Infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102, 5297-5300