I seek to understand the relationships between brain anatomy, physiology, and behavior in humans across the lifespan and in those with neurodegenerative diseases with a focus on memory in Alzheimer's disease, and on language and behavior in frontotemporal dementias (FTD). In our research on the anatomy and physiology of cognition and behavior, we study brain structure and function using magnetic resonance imaging (structural and functional MRI), and try to understand the roles of various brain regions in normal human memory, language, and behavior. In our research on Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementias, we use MRI to investigate the locations and degrees to which brain regions are affected by the disease, and how these changes relate to clinical symptoms and difficulties with the performance of cognitive tasks.

A special focus of our research is on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in which individuals demonstrate subtle memory loss that may be the earliest symptom of Alzheimer's disease but which is often difficult to distinguish from the aging process itself. We believe that brain imaging tools offer the potential to assist in the identification of individuals with the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, and related disorders, for whom treatments currently under evaluation to slow the disease process may ultimately be effective.