Yaakov Stern
General Area of Research
Cognitive neuroscience of aging
Current Research
Cognitive Reserve
I am interested in understanding the basis for individual differences in task performance in general, and more specifically, the reason why some individuals show more cognitive deficit than others given the same degree of brain pathology. Ongoing fMRI studies explore this issue using paradigms that evaluate differential expression of brain networks across young and old healthy individuals and patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s Disease
A prospective study is designed to explore individual differences in the rate of decline and in the manifestation of cognitive, behavioral, psychiatric and neurologic features in AD patients. Ongoing clinicopathologic studies should give insight into the heterogeneity.
Cognitive Neuroscience Division
This division consists investigators who focuses on cognitive-experimental and neuroimaging approaches to cognition across the life span. There is an emphasis on normal and abnormal aging, and degenerative neurological disease. Domains of current cognitive experimental studies include several memory domains, basic timing mechanisms, attention, effects of literacy, and ethnicity on task performance.
Relevant Publications
Stern Y, Habeck, C., Moeller, J., Scarmeas, N., Anderson, K.E., Hilton, J.H., Flynn, J., Sackeim, H, Van Heertum, R. Brain networks associated with cognitive reserve in healthy young and old adults. Cerebral Cortex, in press.
Stern, Y. (2002). What is cognitive reserve? Theory and research application of the reserve concept. JINS, 8, 448-460.