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Speakers
Chandramallika Basak, PhD – Director, Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition (LiNC) Lab at the Center for Vital Longevity, UT Dallas
About the Talk
Given that delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by only five years can reduce the rate of incidence by 50 percent, a major aspect of Dr. Basak's research is investigating the efficacy of cognitive interventions, both laboratory tasks and game-like, on older adults’ memory and cognition. Her research argues that certain types of computerized cognitive training show both cognitive and brain plasticity in older adults, as they can improve cognition through the mediating influences of maintenance of brain structures.
In this talk, Dr. Basak presents results from comprehensive meta-analytic studies conducted in her lab. Each randomized controlled trial (RCT) engaged between 100-215 participants in order to identify moderators and mediators of cognitive training in both healthy aging and pre-clinical AD, as well as the game features of efficacious videogame training – insights that can guide design of best cognitive training for healthy aging and preclinical AD/early AD. In addition, Dr. Basak shares results from RCTs and clinical trials on older adults, research aimed to identify the best strategies for neurocognitive enhancements in older adults and its long-term impact on AD risks, defined by cognition and blood-based biomarkers of AD/ADRD.
To understand how cognitive training ameliorates cognitive declines in healthy aging, in addition to changes in brain structure (e.g., white matter integrity, cortical thickness, gray matter volume), we need to understand how large-scale functional networks in older adults dynamically change with environmental task demands. Therefore, her talk also includes research on cognitive training related changes in older adults’ large-scale brain networks, both during rest and during complex cognitive tasks. Discussion will include the need for complex analytical tools (multivariate statistics, machine learning) and wearable devices for precision intervention/treatment, as well as ongoing efforts towards validation in early AD patients.
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Professor Chandramallika Basak, PhD, (she/her) is a distinguished researcher and academic leader at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, UT Dallas, where she serves as director of the Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition (LiNC) lab at the Center for Vital Longevity (CVL). As a leading expert in her field, Professor Basak has published over 55 peer-reviewed articles and serves on review boards for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and European grant agencies. She is also an associate editor and editor at multiple neuroscience journals. In addition to her academic work, Professor Basak has also ventured into entrepreneurship as the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NeuroFlight, Inc. She has been serving as Chair of UTD's Core Curriculum Committee since 2023. Her research is currently funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), AWARE North Texas, and other foundations. She has been selected for prestigious programs, including the Southwest regional NSF I-Corps (2026) and the Norwegian grant (HK-DIR).
Throughout her career, Professor Basak has received numerous awards and honors, including the Big Idea Competition Winner (2023), Early Career Research Award at the 2007 Cognitive Aging Conference in Australia, and the 2015 Darrell K Royal Award. She is also a Silver Medalist at Calcutta University (1st Class, 2nd) and a recipient of the Dean's Fellowship, Outstanding Dissertation Award, and Outstanding Teaching Award.
Prior to her position at UTD, Professor Basak held tenure-track positions at prestigious institutions, including Rice University and the Beckman Institute Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has collaborated with esteemed researchers, including Dr. Art Kramer (now at Northeastern University), Dr. Monica Fabiani, and Dr. Gabriele Gratton.
Her academic background is marked by a BS in mathematics (Hons) and an MS in psychology from the University of Calcutta, followed by a PhD and Dual MS in applied statistics and experimental psychology from Syracuse University, NY, under the guidance of Dr. Paul Vaegehen (now at Georgia Tech).
Watch select recordings below.
We are located at 2200 West Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75235
The entrance to the surface parking lot is on Forest Park Road. The talks will be held in the Brain Performance Institute building, the second building when you enter through the gate.