Faculty Member
Professor
Department of Psychology
Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles
8534 Pritzker Hall
Box 951563
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Biography
Jesse Rissman joined the UCLA faculty in 2011 and holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences. He earned his ScB in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University, his PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. His research investigates how goal-directed attention shapes memory processes across short and long timescales. Using a combination of functional MRI, transcranial brain stimulation, diffusion tensor imaging, and eye-tracking, his lab examines the neural mechanisms underlying memory formation, maintenance, and retrieval.
Dr. Rissman develops and applies advanced neuroimaging methods, using multi-voxel pattern analysis to decode mental representations and connectivity modeling techniques—both functional and structural—to examine interactions between brain regions that support memory and attentional control. His work has illuminated how prefrontal control systems prioritize relevant information and suppress distractions, and how these dynamic processes influence what is remembered. He often employs naturalistic paradigms, such as immersive virtual reality and wearable cameras, to study autobiographical memory and cognition in real-world settings. In addition to characterizing memory mechanisms in healthy individuals, his research extends to aging and clinical populations, with the goal of understanding how memory and cognitive control processes are altered in these groups.
Publications
A selected list of publications:
Kadlec, J., Walsh, C.R., Sade, U., Amir, A., Rissman, J., and Ramot, M. (2024). A measure of reliability convergence to select and optimize cognitive tasks for individual differences research. Communications Psychology, 2(1), 64.
Rissman, J. and Murphy, E.R. (2024) Brain-based Memory Detection and the New Science of Mind Reading. In Kahana, M.J. & Wagner, A.D. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Human Memory (pp. 2329-2350). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Walsh, C.R. and Rissman, J. (2023). Behavioral representational similarity analysis reveals how episodic learning is influenced by and reshapes semantic memory. Nature Communications, 14, 7548.
Han, L.T., Cohen, M.S., He, L.K., Green, L.M., Knowlton, B.J., Castel, A.D, and Rissman, J. (2023) Establishing a causal role for left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in value-directed memory encoding with high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuropsychologia, 181, 108489.
Essoe, J. K. Y., Reggente, N., Ohno, A. A., Baek, Y. H., Dell’italia, J., and Rissman, J. (2022). Enhancing learning and retention with distinctive virtual reality environments and mental context reinstatement. npj Science of Learning, 7, 31.
Murray, C.A., Tarlow, M., Rissman, J., and Shams, L. (2022). Multisensory encoding of names via name tags facilitates remembering. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36(6), 1277-1291.
Cherkaoui, M., Rissman, J., Hampson, M., and Lau, H.C. (2021) Ethical considerations for fMRI neurofeedback. In Hampson, M. (Ed.), FMRI Neurofeedback, Elsevier.
Lenartowicz, A., Truong, H., Enriquez, K.D., Webster, J., Pochon, J.B., Rissman, J., Bearden, C.E., Loo, S.K., and Bilder, R.M. (2021). Neurocognitive subprocesses of working memory performance. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 21(6), 1130-1152.
Murphy, E.R. and Rissman, J. (2020). Evidence of Memory from Brain Data. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, lsaa078, 1-58.
Reggente, N., Essoe, J.K-Y., Baek, H.Y-J., and Rissman, J. (2020). The Method of Loci in virtual reality: Explicit binding of objects to spatial contexts enhances subsequent memory recall. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 4, 12-30.
Westphal Andrew J, Chow Tiffany E, Ngoy Corey, Zuo Xiaoye, Liao Vivian, Storozuk Laryssa A, Peters Megan A K, Wu Allan D, Rissman Jesse Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Left Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Selectively Improves Source Memory Retrieval Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2019; 31(9): 1380-1391.
Hennessee Joseph P, Reggente Nicco, Cohen Michael S, Rissman Jesse, Castel Alan D, Knowlton Barbara J White matter integrity in brain structures supporting semantic processing is associated with value-directed remembering in older adults Neuropsychologia, 2019; 129(9): 246-254.
Bainbridge Wilma A, Rissman Jesse Dissociating neural markers of stimulus memorability and subjective recognition during episodic retrieval Scientific reports, 2018; 8(1): 8679.
Reggente Nicco, Essoe Joey K-Y, Aghajan Zahra M, Tavakoli Amir V, McGuire Joseph F, Suthana Nanthia A, Rissman Jesse Enhancing the Ecological Validity of fMRI Memory Research Using Virtual Reality Frontiers in neuroscience, 2018; 12(9): 408.
Reggente Nicco, Cohen Michael S, Zheng Zhong S, Castel Alan D, Knowlton Barbara J, Rissman Jesse Memory Recall for High Reward Value Items Correlates With Individual Differences in White Matter Pathways Associated With Reward Processing and Fronto-Temporal Communication Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2018; 12(9): 241.
Brown Thackery I, Rissman Jesse, Chow Tiffany E, Uncapher Melina R, Wagner Anthony D Differential Medial Temporal Lobe and Parietal Cortical Contributions to Real-world Autobiographical Episodic and Autobiographical Semantic Memory Scientific reports, 2018; 8(1): 6190.
Chow Tiffany E, Westphal Andrew J, Rissman Jesse Multi-voxel pattern classification differentiates personally experienced event memories from secondhand event knowledge NeuroImage, 2018; 176(1): 110-123.
Reggente Nicco, Moody Teena D, Morfini Francesca, Sheen Courtney, Rissman Jesse, O’Neill Joseph, Feusner Jamie D Multivariate resting-state functional connectivity predicts response to cognitive behavioral therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018; 115(9): 2222-2227.
Cohen Michael S, Rissman Jesse, Hovhannisyan Mariam, Castel Alan D, Knowlton Barbara J Free recall test experience potentiates strategy-driven effects of value on memory Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition, 2017; 43(10): 1581-1601.
Chow Tiffany E, Rissman Jesse Neurocognitive mechanisms of real-world autobiographical memory retrieval: insights from studies using wearable camera technology Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2017; 1396(1): 202-221.
Treanor Michael, Brown Lily A, Rissman Jesse, Craske Michelle G Can Memories of Traumatic Experiences or Addiction Be Erased or Modified? A Critical Review of Research on the Disruption of Memory Reconsolidation and Its Applications Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 2017; 12(2): 290-305.
Westphal Andrew J, Wang Siliang, Rissman Jesse Episodic Memory Retrieval Benefits from a Less Modular Brain Network Organization The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2017; 37(13): 3523-3531.
De Shetler Natalie G, Rissman Jesse Dissociable profiles of generalization/discrimination in the human hippocampus during associative retrieval Hippocampus, 2017; 27(2): 115-121.
Rissman Jesse, Chow Tiffany E, Reggente Nicco, Wagner Anthony D Decoding fMRI Signatures of Real-world Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2016; 28(4): 604-20.
Westphal Andrew J, Reggente Nicco, Ito Kaori L, Rissman Jesse Shared and distinct contributions of rostrolateral prefrontal cortex to analogical reasoning and episodic memory retrieval Human brain mapping, 2016; 37(3): 896-912.
Cohen Michael S, Rissman Jesse, Suthana Nanthia A, Castel Alan D, Knowlton Barbara J Effects of aging on value-directed modulation of semantic network activity during verbal learning NeuroImage, 2015; .
Uncapher Melina R, Boyd-Meredith J Tyler, Chow Tiffany E, Rissman Jesse, Wagner Anthony D Goal-Directed Modulation of Neural Memory Patterns: Implications for fMRI-Based Memory Detection The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2015; 35(22): 8531-45.
Gordon Alan M, Rissman Jesse, Kiani Roozbeh, Wagner Anthony D Cortical reinstatement mediates the relationship between content-specific encoding activity and subsequent recollection decisions Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2014; 24(12): 3350-64.
Waskom Michael L, Kumaran Dharshan, Gordon Alan M, Rissman Jesse, Wagner Anthony D Frontoparietal representations of task context support the flexible control of goal-directed cognition The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2014; 34(32): 10743-55.
Cohen Michael S, Rissman Jesse, Suthana Nanthia A, Castel Alan D, Knowlton Barbara J Value-based modulation of memory encoding involves strategic engagement of fronto-temporal semantic processing regions Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, 2014; 14(2): 578-92.
Kuhl Brice A, Rissman Jesse, Wagner Anthony D Multi-voxel patterns of visual category representation during episodic encoding are predictive of subsequent memory Neuropsychologia, 2012; 50(4): 458-69.
Rissman Jesse, Wagner Anthony D Distributed Representations in Memory: Insights from Functional Brain Imaging Annual review of psychology, 2012; 108(14): .
Kuhl Brice A, Rissman Jesse, Chun Marvin M, Wagner Anthony D Fidelity of neural reactivation reveals competition between memories Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011; 108(14): 5903-8.
Rissman Jesse, Greely Henry T, Wagner Anthony D Detecting individual memories through the neural decoding of memory states and past experience Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010; 107(21): 9849-54.
Carr Valerie A, Rissman Jesse, Wagner Anthony D Imaging the human medial temporal lobe with high-resolution fMRI Neuron, 2010; 65(3): 298-308.
Rissman Jesse, Gazzaley Adam, D’Esposito Mark The effect of non-visual working memory load on top-down modulation of visual processing Neuropsychologia, 2009; 47(7): 1637-46.
Rissman Jesse, Gazzaley Adam, D’Esposito Mark Dynamic adjustments in prefrontal, hippocampal, and inferior temporal interactions with increasing visual working memory load Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2008; 18(7): 1618-29.
Gazzaley Adam, Rissman Jesse, Cooney Jeffrey, Rutman Aaron, Seibert Tyler, Clapp Wesley, D’Esposito Mark Functional interactions between prefrontal and visual association cortex contribute to top-down modulation of visual processing Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2007; 17 Suppl 1(7): i125-35.
Fiebach Christian J, Rissman Jesse, D’Esposito Mark Modulation of inferotemporal cortex activation during verbal working memory maintenance Neuron, 2006; 51(2): 251-61.
Gazzaley Adam, Cooney Jeffrey W, Rissman Jesse, D’Esposito Mark Top-down suppression deficit underlies working memory impairment in normal aging Nature neuroscience, 2005; 8(10): 1298-300.
Blumstein Sheila E, Myers Emily B, Rissman Jesse The perception of voice onset time: an fMRI investigation of phonetic category structure Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2005; 17(9): 1353-66.
Ranganath Charan, Heller Aaron, Cohen Michael X, Brozinsky Craig J, Rissman Jesse Functional connectivity with the hippocampus during successful memory formation Hippocampus, 2005; 15(8): 997-1005.
Misiurski Cara, Blumstein Sheila E, Rissman Jesse, Berman Daniel The role of lexical competition and acoustic-phonetic structure in lexical processing: evidence from normal subjects and aphasic patients Brain and language, 2005; 93(1): 64-78.
Gazzaley Adam, Rissman Jesse, D’Esposito Mark Functional connectivity during working memory maintenance Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, 2004; 4(4): 580-99.
Rissman Jesse, Gazzaley Adam, D’Esposito Mark Measuring functional connectivity during distinct stages of a cognitive task NeuroImage, 2004; 23(2): 752-63.
Rissman Jesse, Eliassen James C, Blumstein Sheila E An event-related FMRI investigation of implicit semantic priming Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2003; 15(8): 1160-75.
