Broadly speaking, my research aims to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception. Over the course of my career, I have used a range of techniques, including neurophysiological recordings in awake, behaving non-human primates, intracortical microstimulation, and electroencephalography (EEG). In addition, I have extensive experience conducting human subjects research using eye tracking and behavioral psychophysics. By adopting this approach, I have been able to bridge the gap between recording modalities across species and identify non-invasive biomarkers of brain function in both health and disease.
- University of Nottingham, Nottingham, PhD in Psychology
- University of Nottingham, Nottingham, MSc in Brain Imaging
- Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BSc in Psychology
Education & Training
Johnston R, Konecky RO, Katnani HA, Gandhi NJ, Smith MA. Investigating the mechanisms underlying saccade generation in the frontal eye fields using multi-site microstimulation. bioRxiv. 2025 Dec 29;. doi: 10.64898/2025.12.29.696832. PubMed PMID: 41509498; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12776399.
Johnston R, Thompson C, Kontos AP, Zhang M, Holland CL, Zynda AJ, Sheehy CK, Rossi EA. Sex differences in fixational eye movements following concussion. J Vis. 2025 Dec 1;25(14):9. doi: 10.1167/jov.25.14.9. PubMed PMID: 41396455; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12710789.
Johnston R, Smith MA. Brain-wide arousal signals are segregated from movement planning in the superior colliculus. bioRxiv. 2025 Jun 27;. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.26.591284. PubMed PMID: 38746466; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11092505.
Johnston R, Snyder AC, Khanna SB, Issar D, Smith MA. The eyes reflect an internal cognitive state hidden in the population activity of cortical neurons. Cereb Cortex. 2022 Jul 21;32(15):3331-3346. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhab418. PubMed PMID: 34963140; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9340396.
Johnston R, Snyder AC, Schibler RS, Smith MA. EEG Signals Index a Global Signature of Arousal Embedded in Neuronal Population Recordings. eNeuro. 2022 May-Jun;9(3). doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0012-22.2022. Print 2022 May-Jun. PubMed PMID: 35606150; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9186107.