OUR TEAM
R. Nathan Spreng, PhD
Principal Investigator
James McGill Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery
The Laboratory of Brain and Cognition is directed by Dr. Nathan Spreng, a Full Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. The lab examines large-scale brain network dynamics and their role in cognition. Currently, we investigate attention, memory, cognitive control, and social cognition, and the interacting brain networks that support them. We are also actively involved in the development and implementation of multivariate and network-based statistical approaches to assess brain structure, connectivity and activity. In doing so, we aim to better understand the properties of brain networks underlying cognitive processes as they change across the lifespan in health and disease
Postdoctoral Researchers
Alfie Wearn, PhD
Research interests: Structural brain changes in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, quantitative MRI, longitudinal modelling, ApoeE, neuroinflammation, neuropsychological testing
Current project: Quantitative MRI of the isodendritic core
Personal hobbies:
Summer: Hiking & camping, jumping in lakes, birdwatching.
Winter: Playing games, cooking good food, planning for summer.
Colleen Hughes, PhD
Research interests: Aging, social cognition, functional neuroimaging, brain networks
Current project: Social cognition and functional brain networks in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease
Personal hobbies: Pet lover, avid reader, hot weather enthusiast
Veronica Diveica, PhD
Research interests: Functional neuroimaging, functional brain networks, memory, cognitive control, social cognition
Current project: 1) Default network activity and interactivity in support of goal-directed access to prior knowledge, 2) Neural and behavioural correlates of wisdom
Personal hobbies: Board gaming, reading, hiking, cat worshipping, squirrel watching
Graduate Students
Manesh Girn
Research interests: Psychedelic neuroscience, default mode network, internally-directed cognition, self-related processing
Current project: Default mode network functional organization and role in cognition, large-scale brain mechanisms underlying serotonergic psychedelic drugs
Personal hobbies: Psychedelic research consultant, Youtuber and popular science content creator, avid non-fiction reader, meditator and yogi
Giulia Baracchini
Research interests: Macroscale brain dynamics, connectomics, multivariate modeling, healthy aging, cognitive control
Current project: From regional BOLD variability to functional network dynamics: characterizing the brain’s spatial architecture over time
Personal hobbies: Always running or cycling, training to become the next Serena Williams (Iol), looking for the next art/music show, and writing about what I love doing most
Shanny Foo
Research interests: Functional and structural neuroimaging, longitudinal modelling, big data analysis, multivariate statistics, dementia, aging, social cognition, clinical populations
Current project: Longitudinal modelling of disease progression and social cognitive functioning for early detection of genetic frontotemporal dementia
Personal hobbies: Inventive baking, vegetarian foodie, travelling, cat custodian, making pretty plots, reading, coffee, puzzles, curious wandering
Jing Zhou
Research interests: Quantitative susceptibility mapping, episodic memory, Alzheimer’s Disease, healthy aging
Current project: We aim to evaluate hippocampal iron using quantitative susceptibility mapping in a cohort of healthy older individuals at elevated risk for Alzheimer's Disease, and relate iron content to pattern separation and completion
Personal hobbies: Badminton, pilates, film, traveling
Emily Davidson
Research interests: Network neuroscience and functional connectivity, cooperation and competition of networks. More broadly, cognitive science and philosophical approaches to the mind and brain
Current project: An investigation into the temporal dynamics of anticorrelated networks in the human brain
Personal hobbies: Martial arts, SCUBA diving, strategy games (always looking for new chess opponents!). I also mix a mean drink
Miriam Taza
Research interests: Network neuroscience, functional and structural neuroimaging, blood-brain-barrier, Alzheimer’s disease, healthy aging, consciousness
Current project: Studying the role of the basal forebrain in healthy aging and Alzheimer's Disease. Specifically, I investigate the relationship between multi-modal neuroimaging data (structural/functional MRI, H-MRS, PET) and cognitive/behaviour measures.
Personal hobbies: Cooking, photography, reading/writing philosophy, plant caring, playing strategy boardgames, consuming coffee
Patrick Hewan
MA student in Clinical Neuropsychology
York University
(Co-supervised by Dr. Gary Turner)
Daniel O'Sullivan
MSc Student in Neuroscience
(Co-supervised by Dr. Christine Tardif)
Research interests: Aging and decision-making, functional and structural neuroimaging, brain networks, neuropsychological disease, emotions and their neural correlates, how music impacts the brain and music therapy
Current project: We are trying to understand how decision-making changes across the lifespan and in neuropsychological disease by looking at exploration vs. exploitation style decisions and their neural underpinnings. We are combining comprehensive structural and functional MRI, with a large battery of decision-making tasks, with the goal of understanding the brain structures and networks that are involved in decision-making and how they change throughout life and in diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Personal hobbies: Jazz and classical piano, photography, computer programming, tennis, swimming, reading, drinking coffee
Research interests: White matter MRI, Alzheimer’s disease, loneliness, socially relevant brain networks
Current project: Implications of loneliness in brain network structure and Alzheimer’s progression
Personal hobbies: Socializing, the great outdoors, reading and writing philosophy, weightlifting, art of all forms, and a life of expedition
Research Assistants & Undergraduate Students
Kayla Williams
Nathalie Prenevost
Corina Lazarenco
Research interests: Internally-directed cognition, affective cognition, autobiographical memory, emotional disorders, large-scale functional connectivity
Current project: Neural activation of the five dimensions of perseverative thought during states of worry vs. mindfulness
Personal hobbies: Avid puzzler, gym goer, full-time kitty mama
Research interests: Functional and structural connectivity, mood disorders, self-referential processing and autobiographical memory
Current project: Functional and anatomical variabilities in the prefrontal cortex
Personal hobbies: Painting, reading, and dressing my dog in knitted sweaters (he is debatably not a fan of this, but forgives me). I also love combining art and science by creating medical illustrations!
Research interests: Cognition and behaviour, brain connectivity, aging
Current project: (1) Social cognition and functional brain networks in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease; (2) Functional and anatomical variabilities in the medial frontal cortex
Personal hobbies: Dog, food and chocolate enthusiast. Writing and reading the rest of the time
LBC Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Taylor Schmitz, PhD
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Michael A. Ferguson, PhD
Graduate Students
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Aïda B. Fall (Visiting PhD student)
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Alexander Bailey
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Jamie Snytte
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Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo (PhD)
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Roni Setton (PhD)
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Amber Lockrow (MA)
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Anne Laurita (PhD)
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Elizabeth DuPre (MA)
Undergraduate Students
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Yigu Zhou
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Sophie Hübner (Visiting student)
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Eliana Muszynski
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