Stephen Engel, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Psychology

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Advising Statement


Research Interests:

Research in our laboratory seeks to understand vision and cognition by combining measurements of behavior with neural measurements made using functional MRI. A main topic currently under investigation is visual plasticity - how cortex can change with experience. Within this domain we are examining effects of altered environments, perceptual training, and visual expertise.


Selected Publications:

(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)

  • Montoya SA, Mulder CB, Allison KD, Lee MS, Engel SA, Schallmo MP. What does visual snow look like? Quantification by matching a simulatio. J Vis. 2024 Jun 3;24(6):3. 
  • Montoya SA, Mulder CB, Lee MS, Schallmo MP, Engel SA. Adapting to visual noise alleviates visual snow. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2023 Dec 1;64(15):23.
  • Nie 聂劭质 S, Katyal S, Engel SA. An accumulating neural signal underlying binocular rivalry dynamics. J Neurosci. 2023 Oct 27:JN-RM-1325-23.
  • Sponheim SR, Stim JJ, Engel SA, Pokorny VJ. Slowed alpha oscillations and percept formation in psychotic psychopathology. Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 14;14:1144107.
  • Li Y, Tregillus KEM, Engel SA. Visual mode switching: Improved general compensation for environmental color changes requires only one exposure per day. J Vis. 2022 Sep 2;22(10):12.
  • Bratch A, Chen Y, Engel SA, Kersten DJ. Visual adaptation selective for individual limbs reveals hierarchical human body representation. J Vis. 2021 May 3;21(5):18.
  • Stieger JR, Engel SA, He B. Continuous sensorimotor rhythm based brain computer interface learning in a large population. Sci Data. 2021 Apr 1;8(1):98.
  • Tregillus KEM, Engel SA. The McCollough World: Induction of orientation-contingent aftereffects with an altered-reality system. Vision Res. 2021 Jul;184:8-13.
  • Navarro KT, Sanchez MJ, Engel SA, Olman CA, Weldon KB. Depth-dependent functional MRI responses to chromatic and achromatic stimuli throughout V1 and V2. Neuroimage. 2021 Feb 1;226:117520.
  • Bratch A, Chen Y, Engel SA, Kersten DJ. Visual adaptation selective for individual limbs reveals hierarchical human body representation. J Vis. 2021;21:18.
  • Li Y, Tregillus KE, Luo Q, Engel SA. Visual mode switching learned through repeated adaptation to color. Elife. 2020 Dec 15;9:e61179.
  • Liu X, Engel SA. Higher-level meta-adaptation mitigates visual distortions produced by lower-level adaptation. Psychol Sci. 2020 Jun;31(6):654-662.
  • Lyu L, He S, Jiang Y, Engel SA, Bao M. Natural-scene-based steady-state visual evoked potentials reveal effects of short-term monocular deprivation. Neuroscience. 2020 Mar 27;435:10-21.
  • Vergeer M, Engel SA. Control of visual adaptation depends upon task. PLoS One. 2020 Feb 27;15(2):e0229343
  • Katyal S, He S, He B, Engel SA. Frequency of alpha oscillation predicts individual differences in perceptual stability during binocular rivalry. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019;40(8):2422-2433.
  • Petruk V, He B, Engel S, He S. Stimulus rivalry and binocular rivalry share a common neural substrate. J Vis. 2018 Sep 4;18(9):18.
  • Cao T, Wang L, Sun Z, Engel SA, He S. The independent and shared mechanisms of intrinsic brain dynamics: Insights from bistable perception. Front Psychol. 2018 Apr 24;9:589
  • Vergeer M, Mesik J, Baek Y, Wilmerding K, Engel SA. Orientation-selective contrast adaptation measured with SSVEP. J Vis. 2018 May 1;18(5):2.
  • Gupta A, Mesik J, Engel SA, Smith R, Schatza M, Calabrèse A, van Kuijk FJ, Erdman AG, Legge GE.  Beneficial Effects of Spatial Remapping for Reading With Simulated Central Field Loss.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(2):1105-1112.
  • Katyal S, Vergeer M, He S, He B, Engel SA.   Conflict-sensitive neurons gate interocular suppression in human visual cortex. Sci Rep. 2018 Jan 19;8(1):1239.
  • Olman CA, Bao P, Engel SA, Grant AN, Purington C, Qiu C, Schallmo MP, Tjan BS. Hemifield columns co-opt ocular dominance column structure in human achiasma. Neuroimage. 2018;164:59-66.
  • Reavis EA, Lee J, Wynn JK, Narr KL, Njau SN, Engel SA, Green MF. Linking optic radiation volume to visual perception in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Schizophr Res. 2017;190:102-106.
  • Bao M, Dong B, Liu L, Engel SA, Jiang Y. The best of both worlds: Adaptation during natural tasks produces long-lasting plasticity in perceptual ocular dominance. Psychol Sci. 2018;29(1):14-33.
  • Reavis EA, Lee J, Wynn JK, Engel SA, Cohen MS, Nuechterlein KH, Glahn DC, Altshuler LL, Green MF. Assessing neural tuning for object perception in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with multivariate pattern analysis of fMRI data. Neuroimage Clin. 2017;16:491-497.
  • Roy AV, Jamison KW, He S, Engel SA, He B. Deactivation in the posterior mid-cingulate cortex reflects perceptual transitions during binocular rivalry: Evidence from simultaneous EEG-fMRI. Neuroimage. 2017;152:1-11.
  • Reavis EA, Lee J, Wynn JK, Engel SA, Jimenez AM, Green MF. Cortical thickness of functionally defined visual areas in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Cereb Cortex. 2017;27:2984-2993.
  • Engel SA, Wilkins AJ, Mand S, Helwig NE, Allen PM. Habitual wearers of colored lenses adapt more rapidly to the color changes the lenses produce. Vision Res. 2016;125:41-48
  • McGonigle C, van der Linde I, Pardhan S, Engel SA, Mallen EA, Allen PM. Myopes experience greater contrast adaptation during reading. Vision Res. 2016;121:1-9.
  • Jamison KW, Roy AV, He S, Engel SA, He B. SSVEP signatures of binocular rivalry during simultaneous EEG and fMRI. J Neurosci Methods. 2015;243:53-62.
  • Haak KV, Fast E, Bao M, Lee M, Engel SA. Four days of visual contrast deprivation reveals limits of neuronal adaptation. Curr Biol. 2014;24:2575-2579.
  • Thompson SK, Engel SA, Olman CA. Larger neural responses produce BOLD signals that begin earlier in time. Front Neurosci. 2014 Jun 12;8:159.
  • Qin XA, Koutstaal W, Engel SA.The hard-won benefits of familiarity in visual search: naturally familiar brand logos are found faster. Atten Percept Psychophys. 2014;76(4):914-30.
  • Lee J, Cohen MS, Engel SA, Glahn D, Nuechterlein KH, Wynn JK, Green MF (2014). Neural substrates of visual masking by object substitution in schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp. 2014;35:4654-62.
  • Dong X, Engel SA, Bao M. (2014). The time course of contrast adaptation measured with a new method: Detection of ramped contrast. Perception 2014;43:427-37.

Current Students:

Samantha Montoya (Graduate Program in Neuroscience)

Former Graduate Students:

Scott Warren (Ph.D. 2016, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota)

Picture of Stephen Engel