Adriana Rivera-Dompenciel
Brain-Behavior Relationships in Aging: Episodic Memory, Medial-Frontal Parietal Network, and Cognitive Reserve
My research is centered around resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) of the Medial-Frontal Parietal Network (M-FPN), also known as the Default Mode Network. For my thesis work, I am interested in how the M-FPN relates to episodic memory performance in older adults, as well as how lifespan exposures like education and physical activity impact this relationship. Other work on the M-FPN involves using the lesion method in combination with rs-fMRI to test whether focal lesions to this network disrupt internal connectivity patterns and whether they are related to episodic memory impairments. Collectively, my goal is to characterize M-FPN network connectivity in older adults and brain lesion patients, which could in future be used to help clinicians make more informed prognoses and implement the most appropriate therapy for their patients.
