Dr. Kana is Professor in the Department of Psychology and the founding director of the Center for Innovative Research in Autism (CIRA). Dr. Kana is also the director of the neuroscience theme, part of the Alabama Life Research Institute (ALRI). He is primarily interested in better understanding the neurobiology of developmental disorders like autism and test the efficacy of targeted treatment and interventions on the brain. An ongoing NIH R01 grant and other mechanisms of funding support the current with in Dr. Kana’s Cognition, Brain, and Autism Laboratory (http://cbra.ua.edu).
Representative Publications
- Corpus Callosum Size and Homotopic Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder. N.L. Loomba, M.E. Beckerson, C.J. Ammons, J.O. Maximo, R.K. Kana. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 313: 111301, 2021.
- Neuropsychological predictors of driving hazard detection in autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. H.M. Bednarz, R.K. Kana, A.M. Svancara, G.M. Sherrod, D. Stavrinos. Child Neuropsychology 21: 1-31, 2021
- The mid-fusiform sulcus in autism spectrum disorder: establishing a novel anatomical landmark related to face processing. C.J. Ammons, M.E. Winslett, J. Bice, P. Patel, K.E. May, R.K. Kana. Autism Research. 14: 53-64, 2021.
- Hyperconnectivity of social brain networks in autism during an action-intention task. V. Seghatol-Eslami, J.O. Maximo, C.J. Ammons, L.E. Libero, R.K. Kana. Neuropsychologia, 137: 107303, 2020.
- Patterns of cerebellar connectivity with intrinsic connectivity networks in autism spectrum disorders. H.M. Bednarz, R.K. Kana. Journal of Autism Spectrum Disorders, 49: 4498-4514, 2019.
Research Interests
The research in the Kana-lab has advanced the fundamental understanding of the neurobiology of autism spectrum disorder. This research led to a) development and refining of the disrupted brain connectivity hypothesis of autism and its application to various functions including social cognition and language comprehension; and b) testing rigorous intervention programs for language comprehension and social cognition difficulties in children and adolescents with autism and their impact on changing the brain organization and brain connectivity.
