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OUR TEAM

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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

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Alfie Wearn, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

alfie.wearn@mail.mcgill.ca

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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.

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Colleen Hughes, PhD

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Postdoctoral Researcher

colleen.hughes@mail.mcgill.ca

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

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Veronica Diveica, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

veronica.diveica@mcgill.ca

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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

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Manesh Girn

PhD candidate in Neuroscience

manesh.girn@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Giulia Baracchini

PhD candidate in Neuroscience

giulia.baracchini@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Shanny Foo

PhD candidate in Neuroscience

shanny.foo@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Jing Zhou

PhD candidate in Neuroscience

jing.zhou5@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Emily Davidson

PhD student in Neuroscience

emily.davidson@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Miriam Taza

MSc student in Neuroscience

miriam.taza@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Patrick Hewan

MA student in Clinical Neuropsychology

York University
(Co-supervised by Dr. Gary Turner)

pathewan@yorku.ca

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Daniel O'Sullivan

MSc Student in Neuroscience

(Co-supervised by Dr. Christine Tardif)

daniel.osullivan@mail.mcgill.ca

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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

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Kayla Williams

Research Assistant

kayla.williams@mcgill.ca

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Nathalie Prenevost

Research Assistant

nathalie.prenevost@mcgill.ca

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Corina Lazarenco

BA student 

Psychology & Behavioural Science

corina.lazarenco@mail.mcgill.ca

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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
  • Taylor Schmitz, PhD

  • Michael A. Ferguson, PhD

Graduate Students
  • Aïda B. Fall (Visiting PhD student)

  • Alexander Bailey

  • Jamie Snytte

  • Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo (PhD)

  • Roni Setton (PhD)

  • Amber Lockrow (MA)

  • Anne Laurita (PhD)

  • Elizabeth DuPre (MA)

Undergraduate Students
  • Yigu Zhou

  • Sophie Hübner (Visiting student) 

  • Eliana Muszynski

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