Dr. Coppola’s research interests are to identify and understand the brain mechanisms underlying cognitive behavior and dysfunction. A pioneer in the use of high spatial resolution electroencephalography (EEG) analysis, Dr. Coppola founded the EEGSYS Consortium, an international group of laboratories utilizing EEG methods developed in his lab. Under Dr. Coppola’s guidance, the Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Core Facility installed the latest state-of-the-art whole-head MEG system. MEG is a noninvasive procedure similar to EEG in which the potential to determine the spatial source of recorded activity in the brain is enhanced. Electrophysiology allows for the investigation of the associated network dynamics in the brain and better understanding of the information flow between areas, the binding problem, neural codes and their relation to behavior.

Holding a doctor of science degree from the George Washington University, Dr. Coppola has been involved with neuropsychiatric research at the NIMH for the past 40 years.