Maria Natasha Rajah

Research Areas:

Behavioural Neuroscience | Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience

Research Summary:

My research is focused on understanding the role of distinct regions of the prefrontal and medial temporal cortices to the recollection of personal memories across the adult lifespan. To this aim I use behavioral experimentation and functional magnetic resonance imaging, to assess regional changes in neural activity in healthy young, middle aged and older adults while they perform memory tasks. I am also interested in examining age-related changes in region-specific brain volumes, and in understanding how the association between  brain volume and brain activity changes across the adult lifespan and thus impacts memory functions. The goals of my research are: 1) understand the neurobiology of episodic memory in young adulthood, 2) investigate how the brain changes across the adult lifespan and how this in turn impacts memory processes, 3) identify neural mechanisms that support optimal memory performance into older age, 4) work with neuropsychologists and clinicians to develop methods for improving episodic memory in adults exhibiting deficits.