Roberto Cabeza

I'm originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, but I lived in Japan for many years. I did my postdoc with Endel Tulving and Randy McIntosh at the Rotman Research Institute (University of Toronto) and had my first faculty position at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada). In 2001, I moved to Duke, where I'm now an associate professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and a core member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. I am interested in all areas of cognitive neuroscience of memory, and in particular, in all the topics described in the Projects page. If you have any questions about my lab, please e-mail me.

Curriculum Vitae

Tia Dawson

My name is Tia Dawson and beside me is my husband Shawn. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in December of 2000 with a degree in Asian Studies and a minor in Philosophy. Since then, most of my employment has been in office management. I am really happy to be here as lab manager working with a great research team and back in an academic environment.

My research examines the psychological and biological aspects of memory, with a specific focus on understanding the age-related pattern of impaired (episodic measures) and intact (semantic measures) memory performance with advancing age. My recent post-doctoral training in computational modeling has been focused on understanding the role of experience on cognition both in the short-term (skill-acquisition, learning) and across the lifespan (cognitive aging). My current post-doctoral research is focused on using functional MRI to identify the neural correlates underlying age-related changes to memory and to dissociate the dual-process contributions of familiarity and recollection to recognition memory.

Curriculum Vitae

Nancy Dennis

My research focuses on elucidating the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support learning and memory in young and older adults. I employ both behavioral and neuroimaging methods, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional MRI (fMRI) to explore the interaction of cognitive and neural processes involved in episodic memory. While my primary research investigates the neural correlates of item memory during both encoding and retrieval, my research also examines the neural processes associated with relational memory and false memory. With respect to cognitive aging, my research concentrates on the examination of age-related neural markers of cognitive decline, as well as mechanisms for neural compensation. Other lines of research include both implicit learning and genetic neuroimaging.

Curriculum Vitae

Scott Hayes

My research investigates the role of the hippocampal complex and prefrontal cortex in autobiographical, episodic, and semantic memory using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). More recently, we have focused on studying age-related changes in memory and neural structure and function, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fMRI. My clinical work has emphasized assessment, diagnosis, and intervention with patients experiencing memory deficits, most commonly as a result of Alzheimer’s or cerebrovascular disease, head injury, depression, or anxiety.

Curriculum Vitae

Elsa Baena

Elsa Baena is an associate in research as part of Duke University’s Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). She graduated with honors in Psychology and a certificate in Life-Span Development and Gerontology from the University of Akron in 2006, where her research focused in decision making, emotion and memory under the mentoring of Dr. Phil Allen. Her current research interests focuses on the neural correlates of memory, executive functions and emotion by using behavioral, neuroimaging techniques and clinical neuropsychology.

James Kragel

I am an associate in research at the CabezaLab. I graduated from Duke University with a B.S.E. in biomedical engineering in December of 2005, with coursework focusing in signal processing and imaging. My interests include experimental design optimization, and imaging workflow.

Matt Lowder

After graduating from Wake Forest University in 2005 with a B.A. in psychology, I went on to the College of William and Mary where I received a Master's degree in experimental psychology with a focus in neuroscience. My research with Dr. Janine Jennings at Wake Forest explored the effects of aging on implicit false memory, while my work with Dr. Jennifer Stevens at William and Mary investigated the electrophysiology of imagined movement in stroke survivors suffering from hemiparesis. My research interests include memory, cognitive aging, and language processing.

Jared Stokes

I graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, where animal behavior and neurobiology became my concentration. My research interests include neuropsychology and memory.

Simon W. Davis

I am a 2^nd year grad student at the CCN, researching the biological bases of age-related differences in semantic memory processing by using measures of structural white matter connectivity. I received a B.A. in Neurobiology from New College of Florida, and then served as Research Associate under James T. Becker at the University of Pittsburgh’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. I received an M.Sc. in Neuropsychology from University College London, working with Jon Simons investigating source memory and reality monitoring.

Peggy St. Jacques

My research focuses on memory for events from the real world or autobiographical memory, which encompasses the processes that are involved in the conscious recollection of the personal past and involves the interaction of multiple separate systems. In particular, I study the contribution of episodic and semantic components of autobiographical memory and the role of emotion in modulating these components. Another focus has been on examining the temporal component of autobiographical memory, which encompasses both the recent past (e.g., yesterday) as well as the remote past (e.g., decades old). In addition to behavioral indices, I am investigating the neural correlates of autobiographical memory and retrieval processes by using neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a multifaceted approach to understand autobiographical memory, my investigations have extended to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as to healthy and demented older adult populations.

Curriculum Vitae

Maureen Ritchey

I am a third-year graduate student in Psychology & Neuroscience and also a member of the Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Neuroscience. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Psychology. I'm primarily interested in how encoding and consolidation processes contribute to enhanced memory for arousing stimuli, as well as in how different medial temporal lobe subregions participate in emotional memory formation.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Micah Adams

I am currently a junior at Duke University, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a double concentration in Cognition and Behavior, and a minor in Chemistry. After completing my undergraduate work at Duke, I plan on attending medical school with the intention of going into a pediatric-related field. Some of my specific academic interests include human memory, developmental cognitive processes, and the role of emotion in human behavior.

Jordan Axt

I am a junior at Duke University completing a double major in Psychology (concentrating in cognitive psychology) and English. My future plans include writing a senior thesis, attending graduate school for cognitive psychology, and learning how to play the guitar. My current research interests involve the role of emotion and morality in cognition, but these are always subject to change.

Jamaur Bronner

I am a sophomore at Duke University, majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a concentration in Neuroscience, with the anticipation of also obtaining a certificate in Markets and Management. My future goals include working in the government or academic research sect and obtaining a Ph.D. in neuroscience. My short term goals include organizing a neuroscience club on campus, doing independent study, and using my RA position and courseload to learn more about the physiology of the brain and its cognitive processes.

Alice Mao

I am a freshman at Duke University, currently undecided about my major. I am planning to go to medical school, but we'll see about that a couple years from now. I'm very new to working in a lab environment. I hope to learn as much as I can about the projects done here and just in general how to organize data and screen subjects and all the other duties of a good research assistant.

David McMullen

I am a junior at Duke University, majoring in Biology and Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience in both. I plan on going to medical school but am considering applying to joint MD/PhD programs. My interests lie in understanding the brain and using technology to widen the scope of human knowledge and interactive ability regarding the brain and its processes.

Luke Medhus

I am a junior at Duke University pursuing a B.S. in Economics, a B.A. in Psychology, and a certificate in Markets & Management Studies, generally interested in behavioral economics and cognitive science research, and eager to explore topics in cognitive neuroscience.

Odera Umeano

I am a junior at Duke University, majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a concentration in Neuroscience and minoring in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy. My future goals include going to medical school and becoming a surgeon, but that is still far off! My short term goals include finding an area of specialty within my research, writing my senior thesis, and learning more about the brain and its many fascinating processes!

Michael White

I am a junior at Duke and started working in the Cabeza Lab during Summer of '08. For my first two years of undergraduate I was pursuing a BSE in Biomedical Engineering, but now I am going for a BS in Psychology with a concentration in neuroscience. As of right now, I plan on applying to dental school after my four years at Duke. So far in the Cabeza Lab I have been working on studies relating to aging and memory as well as basic memory.

Megna Raksit

Sheldon Rudisill

David Emmerman

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