WELCOME TO THE LEAL NEUROSCIENCE OF MEMORY & AGING LABORATORY!
We perform basic and translational research to understand how our memory system works and how this system goes awry in memory and mood disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression. We utilize state-of-the-art high-resolution imaging techniques, PET imaging of amyloid and tau pathologies, and novel experimental paradigms to understand brain-behavior relationships.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Principal Investigator
Stephanie L. Leal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
Contact
Email: stephanieleal@rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-8163
Office: BRC 775
Research Interests:
Dr. Stephanie Leal is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Rice University and Director of the Neuroscience of Memory & Aging Laboratory. She received her B.S. in Biopsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Psychological & Brain Sciences from Johns Hopkins University in 2016 working in the lab of Dr. Michael Yassa. She completed postdoctoral training from 2016-2019 at the University of California, Berkeley with Dr. William Jagust. Her research interests focus on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying episodic memory processing and how these mechanisms are altered in aging and disease states. She develops and utilizes sensitive cognitive tasks, advanced neuroimaging techniques, and translates these methods to states of cognitive impairment. Her overarching goal is to understand the factors that modulate episodic memory processing in order to restore the system to normal function in disorders of mood and memory.
LAB MANAGER
Madelyn Castro
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
Contact
Email: mc151@rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-8164 (Remote Lab Manager Phone Line)
Office: BRC 780B
Research Interests:
Madelyn completed her bachelors of science in psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2018. Prior to working at Rice, she was a clinical research coordinator at the N. Bud Grossman Memory Research & Care at the University of Minnesota studying Alzheimers & dementia. Her research interests include individual differences in normal/abnormal aging and emotion regulation as well as psychological/physiological biomarkers in normal/abnormal aging. In her free time, she enjoys being active, watching baseball, trying new food, and hanging out with her dog, Zeus.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Lorena Ferguson, B.A.
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
Contact
Email: lferguson@rice.edu
Office: BRC 780B
Research Interests:
Lorena graduated with a degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley in 2016 and is planning to pursue a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience. She previously worked in the lab of Dr. Robert Levenson, where she examined emotional regulation in patients with neurodegeneration and their familial caregivers. In the lab of Dr. William Jagust, she assessed the neurological basis of memory changes across the lifespan in a novel memory task. Now a student under Dr. Leal, she studies on the intersection of aging-related neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and hiking in national forests.
Nessa Kim, B.A.
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
Contact
Email: nk50@rice.edu
Office: BRC 780B
Research Interests:
Nessa is a second year master’s student in the Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program at Rice. She obtained a degree in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley in 2016 and thereafter worked on emotional facial expression recognition using machine learning. A continued interest in the organ behind faces, however, led her to work in the lab of Dr. Kathleen Poston at Stanford University, where she studied cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease using neuroimaging and behavioral tasks. At the Leal Lab, Nessa aims to develop and improve the computerized tasks that researchers use to study memory, emotion, and cognition. These works are supported by a continuous source of coffee.
Fernanda Morales Calva, M.S. (Incoming First Year Doctoral Student)
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
Kayla Clark, B.S. (Incoming First Year Doctoral Student)
Psychological Sciences
Rice University
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Rishi Vas
Rishi is a junior at Rice University pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science, specializing in Psychology. His main interests are in the effects of antidepressants/medicine on emotional discrimination and memory, along with analyzing the impact of “mindful activities”, such as meditation, yoga, and journaling, on cognitive function. In his free time, Rishi can be found dancing for Rice’s premier Bollywood fusion dance team, Rice Riyaaz, competing with Rice club tennis at tournaments, or playing basketball at the rec.
FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Amritha Harikumar (2020-2021) – Lab Manager
Lorena Ferguson (2019-2020) – Lab Manager
Brandon Hayes (2020-2021) – Research Assistant
Taylor Phillips (2020-2021) – Research Assistant
The Neuroscience of Memory and Aging Lab at Stephanie’s house for a spring get together in April 2021!