Aging, Imaging and Memory Lab

Researcher - Dr. Kristy Nielson


The Research

Research in the Aging, Imaging, and Memory (AIM) Lab uses neuroimaging to understand how the neural substrates of memory and executive functioning decline in aging and Alzheimer’s disease; genetic influences on these neural substrates; early biomarkers predicting future decline; sex, gender, and emotion processing differences in risk for age-related cognitive decline and dementia; and interventions such as exercise targeted at preventing, reducing, and adapting to decline. Studies in the lab involve both graduate and undergraduate researchers as investigators, presenters and authors.


Current Studies Include:

  • The effects of emotion, alexithymia, and emotion regulation on memory and executive functioning;
  • Sex differences in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease
  • Neural changes associated aging, as measured by MRI, functional MRI, and EEG;
  • Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, combined with cognition and neuroimaging.
  • Exercise interventions to reduce and prevent cognitive decline

Graduate Students

Christan Otteman, B.S.

N/A

Mary Polking, B.S.

N/A

Erik O'Reilly, B.S.

N/A

 

Current Undergraduate/Post-graduate Research Assistants

Current Undergraduate/Post-graduate Research Assistants

  • Taha Ahmad
  • Jai Hsieh-Bailey
  • Erin Burke
  • Jason Cruz
  • Tahira FNU
  • George Foster
  • Josette Nunez
  • Mia Nutile
  • Rachel Piscoran
  • Sarah Rogers
  • Colleen Rooney
  • Jenna Rugzie
  • Hannah Smith

Notable Lab Alumni

  • Timothy J. Arentsen, Ph.D.
  • Sheila Baer, Ph.D.
  • Benjamin Bock, Ph.D.
  • Steve Byers, Psy. D.
  • Alissa Butts, Ph.D.
  • Anthony N. Correro, Ph.D.
  • Veronica Dixon, M.S.
  • Shaun English, Ph.D.
  • Kirk I. Erickson, Ph.D.
    (as an undergraduate)
  • Sarah A. Evans, Ph.D.
  • Christina Figueroa, Ph.D. 
  • Katie Hazlett Elverman, Ph. D.
  • Nathan Hantke, Ph.D.
  • Trevor Hyde, Ph.D.
  • Anna Kiel, M.S.
  • Scott A. Langenecker, Ph.D.
  • Riley Marinelli, B.A., D.P.T
  • Mitchell A. Meltzer, Ph.D.
  • Andrew Newsom, Ph.D.
  • Elizabeth R. Paitel, Ph.D.
  • Mark Powless, Ph.D.
  • Katherine Reiter, M.S. Ph.D.
  • Julie Riederer, M.S.
  • Linda F. Stone, Ph.D.
  • Laura Klockow Wulff, Ph.D.
  • Douglas Yee, M.S.

Where are they now?


Lab Photos

    Nielson-training

AIM Lab EEG training with (left to right) Henry Licht, Christian Otteman, Dr. Elizabeth Paitel, Sarah Evans, and Riya Bhasin (under the cap).

 

           EEG, O'Reilly, Polking, Mrotek

EEG session prep with (left to right) Erik O’Reilly, Mary Polking (in the stylish cap!), and Dr. Leigh Ann Mrotek

 

   Sarah Evans and Elizabeth Paitel

Sarah Evans and Elizabeth Paitel at the Society for Neuroscience conference, October 2019

 

    AIM Lab Team


AIM Lab Team at the Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease, Milwaukee, WI, September 2019.

 

    AIM Lab in Zurich

AIM Lab in Zurich for Cognitive Aging Conference 2019 (EUCAS), April 2019 (Elizabeth Paitel, Dr. Nielson, Anthony Correro)

 

 

Dr. Nielson and AIM Lab at Fiserv Forum

Dr. Nielson and AIM Lab at Fiserv Forum, January 2019 (if needed, L-R is: MU Athletics Director Bill Scholl, Sarah Evans, Elizabeth Paitel, Zane Ballard, Bill Lorber, Dr. Nielson, MU Provost Kimo Ah Yun, MU President Michael R. Lovell.

 

 

eegtrain-2017

           EEG team training, 2017

 

 uzh-aging-cognition-0326-2017

Poster session at EUCAS 2017, Volkshaus, Zurich. Find the AIM Lab presenters, Anthony Correro and Elizabeth Paitel!

 

             elizabeth-paitel-eucas-2017

Elizabeth Paitel presenting at EUCAS 2017, Volkshaus, Zurich

          Nielson Lab, Otteman, Presenting 2022

Christian Otteman (right) presenting at the 62nd annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiologial Research, Vancourver, B.C., Canada, September 2022

 

    Nielson's Lab in Genoa

AIM Lab in Boccadasse (Genoa), Italy for a research collaboration.  Featuring Henry Licht (far left) and Christian Otteman (far right) with INSL and NMCL students (Marquette Biomedical Engineering; Julie Wagner, Frankie Ingram, and Owen Lutz).

 

             

Elizabeth Paitel presenting at the 48th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Denver, CO, February 2020.

 

    zunfthaus-zur-meisen-zurich-eucas-2017

At the EUCAS dinner at the Zunfthaus zur Meisen in Zurich, Switzerland, April 2017

 

uzh-aging-cognition-0461-2017

Us at the EUCAS Dinner at the Zunfthaus zur Meisen, Zurich

 

aim-trainig-001

                  Day 1 of EEG training

 

                 aim-students-001

                   Day 1 of EEG training 2016

 

 

         aim-anthony

Anthony Correro, presenting at the 1st International Convention of Psychological Science in Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 2015.

 

       AIM

AIM Lab (left to right): David Marra,
Riley Marinelli, Christina Figueroa,
Dr. Nielson, Katie Hazlett, 
Anthony Correro,
and Kate Reiter 
at the Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award (Association of Marquette University Women) luncheon, 2014.