Neuroscience

My research focuses on advancing our understanding of how and why aging impacts the brain and associated cognitive abilities. I use neuroimaging scans of brain function and structure together with measures of cognition and health status to identify those factors that influence brain aging and the risk for Alzheimer's disease. My work also includes identifying how health and lifestyle interventions can help to delay or prevent the effects of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Depression is a major health problem that is often chronic or recurrent. Existing treatments have limited effectiveness, and are provided wihtout a clear indication that they will match a particular patient's needs. In this era of precision medicine, we strive to develop neurally-informed treatments for depression and related disorders.

We study how neuronal axons and their terminals respond to stress and damage, and how the molecules activated by stress and damage execute decisions about whether to repair themselves or self-destruct. We hope to identify target molecules that could be used to prevent axon and nerve terminal loss in diseases ranging from diabetic neuropathy to Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Haijiang Cai's lab studies neural circuitry mechanism of behaviors in health and disease, and develop research tools as well as disease therapies. Recently, the lab has identified specific neural circuits in a brain region called amygdala that play important roles in both emotion and feeding behavior, which could be targeted to treat eating disorders or depression.

My laboratory studies how the retina takes visual information about the world and transmits it to the brain. We are trying to understand how this signaling responds to changing amounts of background light and becomes dysfunctional in diabetes.

There are over 30,000 undergraduates on our campus, and the skills and knowledge they gain here will shape their future careers and their lives. My work focuses on helping faculty members to reach their potential as teachers, and working to support them in the critical work they do.

Fabian-Xosé Fernandez's work includes a focus on parsing the logic used by the circadian pacemaker to interpret multidimensional light patterns, developing light-emitting diode (LED) photo-stimulation protocols to improve mental and physical health across the lifespan, and understanding the role that nocturnal wakefulness plays in suicide risk and developing countermeasures centered around light exposure.

The Gallitano Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the dual genetic and environmental risk for neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. We focus on immediate early genes that are activated in the brain by environmental stimuli, including stress, and regulate processes disrupted in mental illnesses. Ongoing studies examine how Egr3 regulates effectors including Arc and the serotonin 2A receptor to influence synaptic plasticity, memory, and behavior.

The broad goal of Katalin Gothard's research is to understand the neural basis of emotion and social behavior. Her lab work reveals the real-time dynamic interactions in multiple systems implicated in emotion regulation and the mechanisms by which emotional responses produce immediate behavioral effects.

My research interests are broadly focused on understanding how and why we store and retrieve memories. The clinical and cognitive neuroscience research conducted in my laboratory combines neuropsychological, cognitive, social psychological, and neuroimaging approaches. An emphasis of my current research is autobiographical memory, which refers to memories of personal experiences. Ongoing projects are investigating how autobiographical memory is affected in several populations, including older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and individuals with acquired brain injury. We also are interested in understanding how changes to autobiographical memory impact other aspects of cognition, and we seek to develop new interventions to improve autobiographical memory and everyday functioning.

Michael Hammer has headed a productive research lab in human evolutionary genetics. His lab were early adopters of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology successfully employed NGS methods to identify molecular lesions causing neurodevelopmental disorders in undiagnosed children. His lab is also currently pursuing studies to identify modifier genes that alter the expression of major genes and how they contribute to phenotypic heterogeneity in Mendelian disorders.

My research examines neural factors which affect language functions, and how these change across life-span and are influenced by stroke, brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. In my work, I use combination of cognitive measures and multimodal neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG/ERPs, MEG). I am also interested in recovery of function, and treatment approaches involving speech-language therapy in combination with noninvasive brain stimulation techniques.

Dr. Lega's research aims to understand nonlinear phenomena and how they affect physical or biological systems around us. Her work, which is collaborative in nature, combines data-informed mathematical modeling with mathematical analysis of the models and numerical simulations. Her scientific contributions span the areas of nonlinear science, fluid dynamics, nonlinear optics, molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, geosciences, and more recently, mosquito-borne diseases. Dr. Lega is a Professor of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics (GIDP), and Public Health at the University of Arizona. She is a member of the UA Bio 5 Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK), and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

I am a neuroscientist who studies the impact of aging and neurodegenerative disease on voice and speech. My laboratory seeks a better understanding of the molecules, cells and circuits in the brain that support vocal production.

I analyze MRI images to understand more about how human language works. We use functional MRI to determine which brain regions are involved in different language tasks. We also look at diffusion MRI to learn about the quality of the wiring between regions.

We develop cutting-edge imaging technology, integrating light, ultrasound and electricity, to diagnose and treat diseases ranging from epilepsy to breast cancer. Novel sources for ultrasound contrast include optical and microwave absorption, mechanical strain, and electrical current. We visualize electrical brain “stormsˮ during uncontrollable seizures and envision “smartˮ photoacoustic agents that seek-and-destroy deadly tumors.

We are working to uncover the molecular mechanisms of aging and neurodegenerative diseases using a combination of genetic, computational and pharmacological tools, and a diverse array of experimental models. We also seek to develop therapies for ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases.