Department of Psychology
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-4611

Ph: (619) 594-5358
Fax:(619) 594-1332

Life Sciences 110
Mail Code: 4611

Open 8:00 am - 4:30 pm M-F

Claire Murphy

Professor, Department Chair

Department of Psychology
San Diego State University
6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92120-4913

Mail Code: 1863

Phone: (619) 594-4559
FAX: (619) 594-6780
E-Mail: cmurphy@sunstroke.sdsu.edu

Research Interests

Research interests are varied, but center on the relationship of the brain to behavior. There are several research projects investigating normal function and function in impaired populations: Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Down's Syndrome, the elderly, head trauma patients, normal children, children with head trauma, and whatever new populations become available to provide a window to the functioning of the brain.

The techniques used in the laboratory range from neuropsychological and psychophysical testing to recording the brain's event-related potentials and functional MRI.

There is particular interest in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's Disease and Down's Syndrome, for example) and their effects on sensory and cognitive function in the brain.

Collaborative efforts are underway with investigators at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the Genetic Disorders Clinic, and the Head and Neck Surgery Department at UCSD, as well as the EEG experts at Scripps and the neuropsychologists and MRI experts at UCSD and the VA. One of the benefits of doing research in San Diego is the existence of good opportunities for collaboration.

Recent Publications

Murphy, C., Schubert, C.R., Cruickshanks, K.J., Klein, B.E.K., Klein, R., and Nondahl, D.M. (2002). Prevalence of olfactory impairment in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 288(18), 2307-2312.

Murphy, C., Jernigan, T.L., and Fennema-Notestine, C. Left hippocampal volume loss in Alzheimer's disease is reflected in performance on odor identification: A structural MRI study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, in press.

Nordin, S., Razani, L.J., Markison, S. and Murphy, C. Age-associated increases in intensity discrimination for taste. Experimental Aging Research, in press.

Murphy, C. (2002). Olfactory functional testing: Sensitivity and specificity for Alzheimer's disease. Drug Development Research, 56, 123-131.

Dulay, M.F. and Murphy, C. (2002). Olfactory acuity and cognitive function converge in older adulthood: Support for the common cause hypothesis. Psychology and Aging, 17, (3) 392-404.

Morgan, C.D. and Murphy, C. (2002) Olfactory event-related potentials in Alzheimer's disease, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 8, 753-763.

Nijjar, R. and Murphy, C. (2002). Olfactory impairment increases as a function of age in persons with Down syndrome. Neurobiology of Aging, 23, 65-73.

Thesen, T. and Murphy, C. (2002). A reliability analysis of event-related brain potentials to olfactory stimuli. Psychophysiology, 39, in press.

Chan, A., Tam, J., Murphy, C., Chiu, H. & Lam, L. (2002) Utility of olfactory identification test for diagnosing chinese patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 24, 251-259.

Murphy, C. and Wetter, S. (2002). Psychophysiology: Event related potentials and psychophysics in dementia. In: d'Haenen, H. (Ed.) Handbook of Biological Psychiatry. London: Wiley, pp. 295-308.

Murphy, C., Doty, R.L., and Duncan, H.J. (2002). Clinical Disorders of Olfaction. In: Doty, R.L. (Ed.) Handbook of Olfaction and Taste. New York: Marcel Dekker, 461-478, in press.

Nordin, S. and Murphy, C. (2002) Odor memory in Alzheimer's disease. In: Olfaction Taste and Cognition. Cambridge University Press , pp. 261-278..

Hummel T., Heilmann S., and Murphy C. (2002). Age-related changes of chemosensory function. In: Olfaction Taste and Cognition. Cambridge University Press, pp. 441-457.

Thesen, T. and Murphy, C. (2001) Age-related changes in olfactory processing detected with olfactory event-related brain potentials using velopharyngeal closure and natural breathing. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 40, 119-127.

Murphy, C. and Morgan, C.D. (2001) Olfactory function and event-related potentials in Alzheimer's disease. In: Iqbal, K., Sisodia, S. and Winblad, B. Alzheimer's Disease: Advances in Etiology, pathogenesis and Therapeutics. London: Wiley, pp. 237-251.

Wetter, S. and Murphy, C. (2001). Apolipoprotein E 4 positive individuals demonstrate delayed olfactory event-related potentials. Neurobiology of Aging, 22(3), 439-447.

Cerf-Ducastel, B. and Murphy, C. (2001). FMRI Activation in response to odorants orally delivered in aqueous solutions. Chemical Senses, 26(6), 625-637.