Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
Professor Head conducts research on the neural basis of cognitive aging. Her research uses behavioral testing and both structural and functional neuroimaging in healthy and pathological aging (e.g. dementia of the Alzheimer type) populations. One line of research explores the relative contributions of frontostriatal circuits and medial temporal regions to skill learning and memory. A particular focus is on executive control processes including working memory, inhibition, temporal processing and task switching. A related interest concerns the impact of cardiovascular health on brain integrity and cognitive performance in older adults. Another developing line of research is focused on combining virtual reality technology and neuroimaging to investigate spatial navigational ability in older adults.