UTD professor explains how the human brain changes with age

Dr. Gagan Wig, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas Center for Vital Longevity, recently explained to members of its Directors Research Circle how the human brain networks. He talked about how it changes as people age and compared the human brain to social and tech networks and other systems with interacting parts.

Certain parts of the brain can also communicate like the way people in a neighborhood might interact with each other: Theyre friendly and talkative to some, while less social with others, he said.

Wigs lecture was part of the centers Directors Research Circle speaker series, which was founded by Dallas architect Bill Booziotis and the centers advisory council. The Directors Research Circle is made up of donors who commit to an annual gift of $2,500 or a minimum donation of $12,500 over five years.

Before joining the center, Wig earned a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from Dartmouth College, completed a fellowship at Harvard University and joined the Human Connectome Project at Washington University School of Medicine, where he focused on understanding brain networks using neuroimaging.

His talk during an evening reception at Arlington Hall in Dallas Lee Park was attended by Ocie Kazee-McAllister, Rita Hortenstine, Katherine Frieberger, Don Daseke and Larry Warder, retired CFO at the U.S. Department of Education and current chair of the centers advisory council.

We are delighted to have Dr. Wig offer insight into new methods of understanding the brain that are having a huge impact in our field, said Dr. Michael Rugg, co-director of the center. Thanks to Dr. Wig and his colleagues at the center, were achieving new insights into the aging mind.

The next center event is a free public lecture next Wednesday at the Communities Foundation of Texas. Memory expert Dr. John Jonides of the University of Michigan will speak as the the first guest in the Jean and Bill Booziotis Distinguished Lecture Series, which was established in Jean and Bill Booziotis name. Reservations are required because seating is limited. Call Holly Hull Miori at 972-883-3728.

The Center for Vital Longevity was founded in 2010 by co-director Dr. Denise Park and has grown in the last four years to become one of the worlds leading centers on studying the aging mind. It is home to six research laboratories and a staff of more than 50.

For more information, contact Miori at 972-883-3728 or iori@utdallas.edu or visit cvlinfo.org.

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UTD professor explains how the human brain changes with age