–
Speakers
GW
Gagan Wig, PhD – Associate Professor, Center for Vital Longevity & Department of Psychology, UT Dallas
About this Talk
Our ability to think, remember, and make decisions depends on how different parts of the brain communicate with one another. In this talk, Dr. Wig describes how his lab uses network science to examine how these connections change across the adult lifespan, showing that alterations in brain network organization can predict future Alzheimer’s disease dementia beyond traditional biomarkers. His lab's work further demonstrates that life experiences matter: environmental exposures and cumulative stress shape trajectories of network decline, influencing vulnerability and resilience in brain aging. This talk also highlights development of non-human animal models of brain network aging, which are enabling researchers to identify causal biological mechanisms underlying large-scale network changes across species.
This research offers a new way of understanding healthy and pathological aging, shifting the focus from isolated brain regions to the brain’s rich set of connections, and advancing the development of a new generation of precision biomarkers grounded in large-scale brain network function.
Frontiers of BrainHealth is a hybrid speaker series. By registering for the season, you get a link to virtual talks as well as recordings. If you are interested in attending any talks in person, you can confirm in-person attendance when we send a reminder email a few days prior to each talk.
For more information, visit our FAQs or email brainhealthevents@utdallas.edu.
Dr. Gagan Wig earned a bachelor of science from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Dartmouth College, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis, where he contributed to the Human Connectome Project. He is an associate professor of psychology based in the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas, with an appointment in psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Wig leads a research program that uses brain imaging to study healthy and pathological aging across the adult lifespan. His research focuses on large-scale brain networks and how patterns of connectivity change with age, influencing cognitive function and Alzheimer’s disease risk. In addition to studying humans, his lab develops non-human animal models of brain network aging, enabling cross-species comparisons and mechanistic investigations of how brain networks change across the lifespan.
Through this work, Dr. Wig seeks to identify factors that promote resilience to age-related cognitive decline and to understand how life course exposures shape vulnerability and long-term brain health. His research is supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the James S. McDonnell Foundation.
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.