WSU, IOG Research Colloquium and Professional Development Series

is pleased to present

Visual Processing in the Aging Brain
by
Adrianna Ruiz-Rizzo, Post-doctoral Researcher Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital

Abstract: Humans strongly rely on visual information to make decisions, interact with others, or navigate the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that visual information processing involves widespread regions of the brain. But, how can the aging human brain efficiently take up information from the environment? To answer this question, we estimate an individual efficiency parameter and study its correlates in brain connectivity. Furthermore, to study the potential implications of that relationship, we investigate brain structure and function in older adults with memory complaints. In this IOG Colloquium talk, I will provide answers to that fundamental question through the presentation of findings of several of our recent studies on visual processing in healthy older adults

Bio: Dr. Ruiz-Rizzo is an associate researcher in the Neurology Department at Jena University Hospital (Jena, Germany). Her research aims to elucidate how the structure and function of brain networks underlie cognitive and behavioral changes in pre-dementia stages. Currently, her research focuses on the study of brain connectivity and visual attention in healthy aging, subjective cognitive decline, and mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Ruiz-Rizzo's work has been funded by the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and has been published in prestigious journals, including Psychological Science, NeuroImage, Neurobiology of Aging, and European Journal of Neurology. She has also been the recipient of several international science awards and academic honors. Dr. Ruiz-Rizzo was a visiting scholar at the Institute of Gerontology between 2019 and 2021 and currently collaborates with the Connect Lab at Wayne State University.