Wallenberg Molecular Medicine Fellow: Neuroscience
ImageMattias Pettersson
Cognitive neuroscience of aging
Cognitive impairments impede the functioning of older people and create major individual and societal costs. Developing ways to preserve functioning in old age is thus of great importance. However, current knowledge about brain mechanisms that underlie cognitive decline is insufficient to enable effective intervention programs.
It is critical to find measurement tools that can predict future severe cognitive decline, such as the one typically observed in demented elderly people, as early as possible, before substantial irreversible damage has been caused to the brain.
Our group uses advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) in order to explore the functional and molecular bases of cognitive decline in aging. We hope that this kind of research pave the road for successful design and implementation of intervention programs that may improve cognitive abilities in old age.
Wallenberg Molecular Medicine Fellow: Neurosciences Cognitive neuroscience of aging