We study brain aging.

Our brain and cognitive abilities change over time. These changes are clear and rapid during childhood, but the brain continues to get sculpted throughout adulthood. Age-related brain changes are often beneficial, but they can also have detrimental impacts on cognitive vitality. We are a Cognitive Neuroscience laboratory whose research is focused on examining how and why the brain ages. As a part of this goal, we aim to understand why some individuals can remain cognitively resilient as they grow older, while others are more vulnerable to decline. Our lab’s research utilizes non-invasive brain imaging techniques to study brain anatomy and function in healthy and unhealthy individuals across the lifespan.

Scroll down to learn more about SOME different aspects of our research

Large-scale Brain Networks

The brain functions as a network and our research is focused on defining and understanding the large-scale organization of brain networks using neuroimaging. This work is done primarily in human participants, but we have also recently expanded our research to include non-human rodents and primates. We use network analysis methods to explore the complex relationships that exist between brain areas (large groups of connected neurons that are functionally related). Our goal is to uncover how brain network organization gives rise to cognition (e.g., long-term memory, attention, language), how it changes over years and decades, and how it is disrupted by diseases.

For representative overviews see:

Wig et al. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2011)
Wig et al. Neuroimage (2014)
Wig. Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2017)

*Organization of functional brain networks measured using resting-state fMRI.*

Brain Development across the Adult Lifespan

We study how the organization and function of brain networks change across the adult lifespan. This research involves examining individuals from different age segments of adulthood (e.g., comparing 20- to 50- to 90-year-old individuals), and also repeatedly studying the same individual longitudinally (i.e., over multiple years or decades). We also study individuals across different degrees of brain health (e.g., varying levels of dementia severity). This multi-prong approach allows us to gain a deeper understanding of trajectories of healthy vs unhealthy aging and helps us to identify potential biomarkers of impending cognitive problems prior to the onset of age-related brain dysfunction.

For representative publications see:

Chan et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (2014)
Chan et al. Journal of Neuroscience (2017)
Han et al., Cerebral Cortex (2018)
Chan et al. Nature Aging (2021)

Long-term Memory

Our ability to form, retain and retrieve records of our past is a central aspect of what defines us as individuals. Memory is a product of interactions between multiple brain regions across the brain network, and our research is focused on understanding how these network interactions give rise to conscious and non-conscious memories in individuals. Our focus on long-term memory is motivated by a goal of understanding the processes that give rise to age-related memory decline in both healthy individuals and individuals suffering from brain disease.

For representative publications see:

Wig et al. Nature Neuroscience (2005)
Wig et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (2008)
Zhang et al. The Journal of Neuroscience (2023)

*Impacts of increasing AD dementia severity on brain network interactions*

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease is characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. However, Alzheimer’s Disease-related cognitive impairment is a consequence of disruptions to brain network function. We are quantifying these brain network alterations in patients who vary in their Alzheimer’s Disease severity, and healthy individuals who are at higher risk for acquiring the disease. In addition, this work involves developing novel indices of brain health that can serve as prognostic and diagnostic measures of Alzheimer’s Disease risk and severity, respectively.

For representative publications see:

Wig. Issues in Science and Technology (2019)
Chan et al. Nature Aging (2021)
Zhang et al. The Journal of Neuroscience (2023)

*US County-level maps (2016) of Median Household Income and Education level*

Brain Health Disparities

Our environment defines our interactions with the social and material world. We want to understand how these interactions shape and constrain our brains as we grow older. Do differences in access to resources, stimulation and environmental stressors contribute to disparities in aging brain health? If so when does this start, and can we identify the most vulnerable individuals? Accomplishing this work necessitates studying diverse groups of individuals who vary in their social, economic, and health-related exposures.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT:

The Midlife Brain and Environment Study (MBES), is a longitudinal study focusing on identifying the environmental factors that contribute to cognitive decline (supported by a research project grant from the NIH-NIA). We have recruited a cohort of participants who are financially and racially representative of the DFW population. We are interested in learning what aspects of an individual’s health and lifestyle impact their changes in brain and cognition as they grow older. The project is currently in its second wave of testing.

For representative publications see:

Chan et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (2018)
Chan et al. Nature Aging (2021)
Wig et al. Encyclopedia of the Human Brain, 2nd Edition (in press)
Wig et al. Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2024)

Targeted Interventions to Change the Brain

Gaining a deeper understanding of individual differences in brain networks and cognitive ability has led us to formulate novel hypotheses about brain network function. To test these hypotheses, we are conducting experiments to determine whether we can modify the organization and function of an individual’s brain network and cognitive abilities. This research is being done using interventions that incorporate behavioral training and non-invasive brain stimulation.

For representative publications see:

Wig et al. Nature Neuroscience (2005)