Research Focus

In the Brain Imaging, Behavior & Aging Lab, we investigate how aging affects cognitive abilities, and whether individual differences among people affect the brain changes associated with cognitive aging and age-related neurodegenerative disease. A major focus of our research includes the use of univariate and multivariate network analysis techniques with neuroimaging methods and measures of neuropsychological function, health status, and genetic risk to understand how these factors interact to influence cognitive function as we age. We use multiple neuroimaging methods, including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

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In addition to studying healthy aging, our lab investigates the cognitive and brain changes associated with the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). We are also involved in the application of neuroimaging research methods to non-human animal models of aging and age-related disease.

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​Affiliations

The lab is located in the Department of Psychology and is a part of the Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs at the University of Arizona. We are also a part of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, the Advanced Research Institute for Biomedical Imaging at University of Arizona and in the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, a statewide collaborative research center that seeks to advance our understanding of AD, its early detection, and the development of effective treatments and prevention therapies.

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​Support

Lab research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the state of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services, the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, and the Alzheimer's Association.